The coffin of Pope Francis will be solemnly sealed during a liturgical rite on Friday, April 25, at 8:00 PM inside St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City.
This sacred moment, which signals the conclusion of public viewing, will be presided over by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church.
The rite of sealing the coffin marks a deeply symbolic and spiritual preparation ahead of the papal funeral scheduled for Saturday morning. The ceremony will be attended by Cardinals and Vatican officials and will be broadcast live across Vatican News platforms.
Public viewing of Pope Francis’ remains, which began on Wednesday, has drawn over 50,000 mourners who came to pay their respects at the Altar of the Confession.
St. Peter’s Basilica remained open nearly continuously, reflecting the immense outpouring of love and reverence for the late pontiff.
Among the cardinals invited to be present during the rite are Cardinals Giovanni Battista Re, Pietro Parolin, Roger Mahony, Domenique Mamberti, Mauro Gambetti, Baldassare Reina, and Konrad Krajewski.
The ceremony will also include other Church dignitaries, including Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, Archbishop Ilson de Jesus Montanari, and Monsignor Leonardo Sapienza.
Pope Francis’ funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, April 26, at 10:00 AM in St. Peter’s Square.
This will mark the beginning of the Novemdiales, a nine-day period of mourning and Masses offered for the repose of the soul of the late pope.
The Novemdiales Masses will take place daily at 5:00 PM (Vatican time) in St. Peter’s Basilica, except for Divine Mercy Sunday, April 27, when the Mass will be held at 10:30 AM in the square.
The global Catholic community continues to mourn the beloved pontiff, whose life and ministry touched millions across the world.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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