Overview

• Pope Francis’s body, in an open wooden coffin, lies in state at St. Peter’s Basilica until April 25, drawing over 20,000 visitors by midday on April 23.
• A solemn procession carried the late pope’s coffin from his Santa Marta residence to the basilica, accompanied by cardinals, Swiss Guards, and clergy.
• The funeral, set for April 26 in St. Peter’s Square, is expected to attract hundreds of thousands of mourners and world leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
• In accordance with his wishes, Pope Francis will be buried at Santa Maria Maggiore, marking the first papal burial outside the Vatican in over a century.
• Cardinals are meeting to finalize funeral arrangements and plan the conclave, which will begin no earlier than May 6, with speculation focusing on potential successors Luis Antonio Tagle and Pietro Parolin.