Overview

• Pope Francis’s open casket drew approximately 250,000 visitors to St. Peter’s Basilica before being sealed in a private ceremony on April 25.
• The sealing ceremony, attended by cardinals and invited guests, included a white silk cloth placed over the pope’s face and a commemorative document added to the coffin.
• The Vatican expects 200,000 attendees, including world leaders like Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump, at the requiem mass on April 26 in St. Peter’s Square.
• Following the funeral, Pope Francis will be interred in a simple tomb at Santa Maria Maggiore, becoming the first pope in over a century not buried in St. Peter’s Basilica.
• Rome has implemented extensive logistical and security measures to manage the large crowds and dignitaries arriving for the funeral events.