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Pope Francis’ coffin will be sealed in a liturgical ceremony at St. Peter’s Basilica on Friday at 8:00 AM, according to Vatican News. This rite will precede his funeral on Saturday morning, April 26.
The sealing of the coffin, known as the Rite of Sealing, will be conducted by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church. Several Cardinals and Holy See officials will attend the event, which will also be broadcast on Vatican News channels.
This ceremony will mark the end of the public viewing period for the Pope’s body at St. Peter’s Basilica. On Wednesday morning, the Basilica remained open for faithful to view the body until 5:30 AM Thursday, after which it closed for an hour and a half before reopening at 7:00 AM.
The Vatican has requested the presence of several prominent Cardinals at the Rite of Sealing, including Giovanni Battista Re, Pietro Parolin, Roger Mahony, Domenique Mamberti, Mauro Gambetti, Baldassare Reina, and Konrad Krajewski, along with other officials from the Holy See and the Pope’s secretaries.
Pope Francis’ funeral will be held on Saturday, April 26, at 10:00 AM local time (09:00 BST) in front of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Pope Francis passed away on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, following a stroke and subsequent heart failure. The official cause of death was confirmed by Andrea Arcangeli, Director of the Vatican’s Health and Hygiene Directorate. The medical report indicated that the Pope had a history of acute respiratory failure, pneumonia, high blood pressure, and Type II diabetes.
