ROME, ITALY — The Vatican has announced that Pope Francis’ coffin will be sealed during a liturgical rite held within St. Peter’s Basilica on Friday at 8:00 PM, as reported by Vatican News.
This ceremony will precede the papal funeral, scheduled for Saturday, April 26th, in the morning.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, will preside over the ceremony, known as the Rite of Sealing of the Coffin. Several Cardinals and Holy See officials are expected to attend the liturgical rite, which will also be broadcast across Vatican News‘ various channels.
This event will mark the conclusion of the public viewing of Pope Francis’ body in St. Peter’s Basilica.
The public viewing commenced on Wednesday morning, with St. Peter’s Basilica remaining open until 5:30 AM on Thursday. The Basilica was then briefly closed for an hour and a half before reopening at 7:00 AM.
The Vatican has disclosed that the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations has requested the presence of Cardinals Giovanni Battista Re, Pietro Parolin, Roger Mahony, Dominique Mamberti, Mauro Gambetti, Baldassare Reina, and Konrad Krajewski at the Rite of Sealing of the Coffin.
Attendees will also include Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, Archbishop Ilson de Jesus Montanari, Monsignor Leonardo Sapienza, the Canons of the Vatican Chapter, the Ordinary Minor Penitentiaries of the Vatican, the late Pope’s secretaries, and other individuals admitted by the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, Archbishop Diego Ravelli.
The Pope’s funeral is scheduled to take place on Saturday, April 26th, at 10:00 local time (09:00 BST).
Pope Francis passed away from a stroke followed by irreversible heart failure on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025.
Director of the Directorate of Health and Hygiene of the Vatican City State, Andrea Arcangeli, issued the official death certificate.
According to the medical report, the Pope had a history of acute respiratory failure caused by multimicrobial bilateral pneumonia, multiple bronchiectases, high blood pressure, and Type II diabetes.
“His death was confirmed through electrocardiographic thanatography. I hereby declare, that the causes of death, to the best of my knowledge and judgment, are as stated above,” Arcangeli stated.
Pope Francis’s funeral will be held outdoors in front of St. Peter’s Basilica.
