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Pope Francis, first image of the body. The funeral between Friday and Sunday

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Photo of the coffin spread: Bergoglio with mitre, a rosary in his hands and the red robe. The cardinals gathered to decide the date of the funeral and the start of the conclave

Update – Saturday 26 April at 10am, the first day of the Novendiali, the funeral Mass of Pope Francis will be celebrated on the parvis of the Basilica, according to the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis. The exequial liturgy will be presided over by Cardinal Dean Re. Following this, the coffin will be taken to St Peter’s Basilica and from there to the Basilica of St Mary Major for burial. (from the Holy See’s website)

The first hour’s news – The first image of the body of Pope Francis, who passed away yesterday, Monday 21 April, has been circulated on social media. In the photo, the Pontiff lies in a simple wooden coffin, wearing a mitre, a red liturgical robe and with a rosary in his hands. Next to the coffin, Cardinal Pietro Parolin is portrayed in recollection, praying.

Today the Congregation of Cardinals met to set the date for the funeral, which according to the Apostolic Constitution should take place between the fourth and sixth day after the death, therefore between Friday 25 and Sunday 27 April. Also decided today will be the exposition of the body, which from tomorrow will be moved to St. Peter’s Basilica to be exposed to the veneration of the faithful until Friday evening.

Pope Francis had left precise arrangements for the burial: he asked to be buried in the Basilica of St. Mary Major, in a loculus located between the Pauline Chapel and the Sforza Chapel. The tomb will be simple, without decorations, with the only inscription: Franciscus.

In the meantime, a passage written by Bergoglio on 7 February in the preface to Cardinal Angelo Scola’s book, Nell’attesa di un nuovo inizio (Waiting for a New Beginning), due out on Thursday, comes to light. ‘Death is not the end of everything, but the beginning of something’, the Pope had written, reflecting on the meaning of eternity and the value of old age, defined as a “fruitful” time and ‘capable of radiating good’. A text that today takes on an even deeper meaning, as the Church prepares to accompany the Pontiff on his last journey.

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