The Vatican has decided the funeral for Pope Francis will take place on Saturday, April 26 at 10:00 local time in Rome.
A meeting of cardinals in the Vatican early Tuesday morning decided the time and date.
The BBC reports papal funerals have traditionally been elaborate affairs, but Pope Francis acted last year to simplify his arrangements. The outlet continued:
He will be the first Pope in more than a century not to be buried in the Vatican, in the crypt of St Peter’s Basilica – opting instead to be laid to rest in Rome’s Basilica of St Mary Major, near his favourite icon of the Madonna.
He also requested to be buried in a simple wooden casket, unlike his predecessors who were buried in the traditional three nesting coffins made of cypress, lead and oak.
Pope Francis’s funeral will take place outdoors in front of St Peter’s Basilica.
The dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re, will lead the service, per the BBC report.
At the end of the funeral, Re will deliver the final commendation – a concluding prayer where the Pope will be formally entrusted to God – and the body moved to St Mary Major for the burial.
