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The Vatican has confirmed that the body of the late Pope Francis will be moved to St Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday at 9:00 AM, where it will lie in state until the funeral on Saturday, April 26, at 10:00 AM.
According to the Holy See Press Office, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, will lead the funeral Mass.
The service will be concelebrated by patriarchs, cardinals, archbishops, bishops, and priests from around the world.
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The Eucharistic celebration will conclude with the Ultima commendatio and Valedictio, initiating the Novemdiales, a nine-day period of mourning and masses for the repose of Pope Francis’ soul.
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Following the funeral, his body will be transported to the Basilica of St Mary Major for entombment.
Prior to the funeral, on Wednesday, the Pope’s coffin will be carried from the chapel of Casa Santa Marta to St Peter’s Basilica.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, will oversee the rite of translation on April 23, beginning with a prayer at 9:00 AM.
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The procession will proceed through Santa Marta Square and the Square of the Roman Protomartyrs before entering St Peter’s Square via the Arch of the Bells.
The procession will then move into the Vatican Basilica through the central door.
At the Altar of the Confession, Cardinal Farrell will preside over the Liturgy of the Word, after which public visitation of the Pope’s body will commence.
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Additionally, on Monday, April 21, following the Pope’s passing, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra sealed the doors of the papal apartment in the Apostolic Palace and the late Pope’s residence at Casa Santa Marta.
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The certification of death and placement in the coffin occurred on Monday evening at 8:00 PM in the Casa Santa Marta chapel.
During the rite, the official declaration of death will be read aloud. Cardinal Farrell, as Camerlengo, validated the act in a ceremony lasting approximately one hour.