Pope Francis’ coffin sealed in private ceremony 

A quiet sealing ceremony for the coffin of Pope Francis took place on Friday evening, attended by close family members and senior Vatican officials, setting the stage for his funeral today.

Following the sealing, members of the Chapter of St Peter kept an all-night prayer vigil beside the coffin.

In line with his personal wishes, Pope Francis’ funeral is expected to be markedly simpler than that of his predecessors. Still, the occasion carries the weight and grandeur appropriate for the passing of a global religious leader and head of state.

Thousands of mourners, dignitaries, and political figures have gathered in Vatican City to honour the late pontiff.

Ceremonial preparations will begin at 8:30 a.m. local time, with archbishops and bishops assembling in the Constantine Wing next to St Peter’s Basilica. At the same time, Catholic priests will gather in St Peter’s Square.

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At 9:00 a.m., cardinals and Orthodox patriarchs will converge in the Chapel of Saint Sebastian, where Pope John Paul II is interred. From there, they will join a procession escorting Pope Francis’ coffin, which has lain in the basilica’s centre for the past four days.

The funeral service, led by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, will commence at 10:00 a.m. as the coffin is brought to the square outside the basilica.

Dignitaries and special guests will be seated near the basilica, while thousands of clergy members and the general public are expected to fill St Peter’s Square, reminiscent of Pope Benedict XVI’s funeral arrangements.

The ceremony will conclude with final prayers and a commendation, formally entrusting the Pope’s soul to God. This will mark the start of the traditional nine-day mourning period known as Novemdiales, with daily Masses held in his honour.

Authorities anticipate a crowd of at least 250,000 mourners, including around 170 world leaders and royals.

Prince William will attend on behalf of King Charles III, maintaining a tradition started in 2005 when the then-Prince of Wales represented Queen Elizabeth II at Pope John Paul II’s funeral.

Among the confirmed guests are U.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, Spanish royals King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

After the funeral, Pope Francis’ remains—clothed in a red chasuble and a gold-trimmed damask mitre—will be transported to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in central Rome for burial. This makes him the first pontiff since Leo XIII in 1903 to be buried outside the Vatican.

Traditionally, a Pope would be interred in a trio of coffins: one of cypress, one of lead, and one of oak, each symbolising spiritual meanings such as humility and strength.

However, Pope Francis opted for a more austere arrangement. In keeping with his 2023 instructions, he will be laid to rest in a plain wooden casket lined with zinc.

Monsignor Diego Ravelli, the Vatican’s master of liturgical ceremonies, explained the late pontiff’s decision: “Even more that the Roman Pontiff’s funeral is that of a shepherd and disciple of Christ and not of a powerful man of this world.”

Final Resting Place Chosen for Deep Personal Meaning
As a Jesuit and lifelong devotee of the Virgin Mary, Pope Francis selected Santa Maria Maggiore as his final resting place. The church, located outside the Vatican in Rome’s centre, houses the revered Salus Populi Romani icon, believed to have been painted by Saint Luke and venerated by Jesuits worldwide.

In his 2022 will, the late pontiff wrote: “Throughout my life, and during my ministry as a priest and bishop, I have always entrusted myself to the Mother of Our Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary.”

“I wish my final earthly journey to end precisely in this ancient Marian sanctuary, where I would always stop to pray at the beginning and end of every Apostolic Journey, confidently entrusting my intentions to the Immaculate Mother, and giving thanks for her gentle and maternal care.”

Francis had prayed there on his very first day as pope in 2013.
Although several former popes are buried in elaborate tombs within the basilica, Francis requested that his grave be a modest one, located in the aisle between the Pauline Chapel and the Sforza Chapel, near the statue of Mary Regina Pacis.

“Near that Queen of Peace, to whom I have always turned for help and whose embrace I have sought more than a hundred times during my pontificate,” he wrote.
True to his simple approach, his tomb will be set in the ground, bearing only the Latin inscription “Franciscus.”

Nigeria Joins Global Mourning
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has sent a high-level delegation from Nigeria to attend the funeral. The team is among many others representing nations and faiths from around the globe as the world bids farewell to the 88-year-old spiritual leader, who passed away on April 21.