Pope Francis died on Monday, the second day of Easter, at the age of 88. Photo: Cris Faga / Alamy
The funeral of Pope Francis will take place on Saturday, 26 April, at 10:00 local time (11:00 Kyiv time), The Guardian reports , citing an official Vatican statement.
The process of saying goodbye to the pontiff will begin on Wednesday, 23 April: at 9:00 am, the coffin with the body of Pope Francis will be moved to St Peter’s Basilica, where it will remain open until the funeral ceremony. Faithful from around the world will be able to say goodbye to him in person.
At the time of his death, Francis had held the Apostolic See for 12 years. His body is now in the chapel of the Santa Marta residence, where the Pope lived throughout his pontificate, abandoning the traditional Apostolic Palace in favour of a more modest lifestyle.
The funeral is expected to be attended by state leaders, religious figures and hundreds of thousands of pilgrims.
