--- description: Pope Francis had previously revised and simplified the funeral rites that would be used upon his death title: What to Know About Pope Francis’s Funeral Rites image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3cb53258fdd1af32/6998c5ecd32e93e3d5cd6eee/Pope-Francis-Funeral.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Religion](/tag/religion/) ## Religion Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # What to Know About Funeral Arrangements for Pope Francis by [Chantelle Lee](/author/chantelle-lee/) ## Chantelle Lee Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Reporter Updated: Apr 22, 2025 4:28 PM CUTPublished: Apr 21, 2025 7:03 PM CUT  Pope Francis attends his weekly general audience at St. Peter's Square on Oct. 18, 2023 in Vatican City, Vatican. Pope Francis attends his weekly general audience at St. Peter's Square on Oct. 18, 2023 in Vatican City, Vatican.Vatican Media—Vatican Pool/Getty Images by [Chantelle Lee](/author/chantelle-lee/) ## Chantelle Lee Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Reporter Updated: Apr 22, 2025 4:28 PM CUTPublished: Apr 21, 2025 7:03 PM CUT Pope Francis [died](https://time.com/5762436/pope-francis-dies-obituary/ "undefined") on Monday at the age of 88, after a stroke, the Vatican said. His funeral will be held on Saturday, and, per tradition, there are a series of rituals that will take place over the next few days before he is buried. Francis had previously revised and simplified the funeral rites that would be used upon his death, according to [The Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/pope-funeral-rites-francis-vatican-d8b24d48b743e4b6b11f565196741504 "undefined"). Still, many of the rituals over the next several days will follow centuries-old tradition. On Monday, church leaders followed Catholic tradition in closing the pope's apartment at the Apostolic Palace by putting a red ribbon on the door handles and sealing the knot with wax, according to the [AP](https://apnews.com/live/pope-francis-dies-catholic-church-updates "undefined"). Here’s what to know about the funeral rituals for Pope Francis. **Read More:** [_How a New Pope Is Chosen—and Who It Could Be_](https://time.com/7278963/new-pope-election-process-conclave-cardinals-candidates-francis-death-successor/ "undefined") On Monday night, the camerlengo, who runs the Vatican after the death or resignation of the pope and before the election of the next pontiff, [oversaw](https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-04/pope-francis-death-ascertainment-cardinal-camerlengo-farrell.html#:~:text=Cardinal%20Camerlengo%20Kevin%20Farrell%20presides,of%20the%20Casa%20Santa%20Marta. "undefined") the rite of ascertainment of Francis’ death and the placement of his body in the coffin. The camerlengo is Cardinal Kevin Farrell. Doctors, other cardinals, and members of Francis’s family were present for the rite. Francis’s body will rest in his personal chapel until his coffin is [transferred](https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-04/pope-francis-ascertainment-death-cardinal-kevin-farrell.html "undefined") to St. Peter’s Basilica for public viewing on Wednesday. The camerlengo will lead the procession. As part of the reforms he made, Francis removed the requirement that the pope’s body be laid on an elevated bier for public viewing; instead, the pope’s body will be placed in a simple coffin facing the pews, according to [AP](https://apnews.com/live/pope-francis-dies-catholic-church-updates "undefined"). [_Buy a copy of the Pope Francis cover here_](https://magazineshop.us/popefrancis "undefined") Francis will [lie in state](https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-04/pope-francis-funeral-saturday-novemdiales-lie-in-state.html "undefined") in St. Peter’s Basilica until his funeral, which is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. local time on Saturday in St. Peter’s Square. The Vatican [said](https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-04/pope-francis-funeral-saturday-novemdiales-lie-in-state.html "undefined") that the dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, will preside over the ceremony. Francis’s revisions for the funeral rites permits burial outside the Vatican. The Vatican [announced](https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-04/pope-francis-funeral-saturday-novemdiales-lie-in-state.html "undefined") on Tuesday that Francis will be buried in St. Mary Major Basilica located in Rome; Francis previously said he wanted to be buried there, rather than in St. Peter’s Basilica or its grottoes, which is where most of the popes are buried, [AP](https://apnews.com/article/pope-francis-funeral-burial-rites-rituals-2eb13a689d09d3403f08027081fe3753 "undefined") reported. Nine days of official mourning, called the “Novemdiales,” will begin after the pope’s funeral. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7279127/pope-francis-funeral-rites-what-to-know/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7279127/pope-francis-funeral-rites-what-to-know/"},"headline":"What to Know About Funeral Arrangements for Pope Francis","datePublished":"2025-04-21T19:03:45.000Z","dateModified":"2025-04-22T16:28:45.000Z","description":"Pope Francis had previously revised and simplified the funeral rites that would be used upon his death","url":"https://time.com/7279127/pope-francis-funeral-rites-what-to-know/","keywords":["Religion","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3cb53258fdd1af32/6998c5ecd32e93e3d5cd6eee/Pope-Francis-Funeral.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Chantelle Lee","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/chantelle-lee/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3cb53258fdd1af32/6998c5ecd32e93e3d5cd6eee/Pope-Francis-Funeral.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Vatican Pool Images 2023","caption":"Vatican Pool Images 2023","creditText":"Vatican Media—Vatican Pool/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/religion/","name":"Religion"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7279127/pope-francis-funeral-rites-what-to-know/","name":"What to Know About Funeral Arrangements for Pope Francis"}}]}] ```