Cardinals gathered Tuesday in Vatican City for the General Congregation of the College of Cardinals, marking the beginning of a period of prayer, reflection and preparation for the funeral of Pope Francis.
The congregation of about 60 cardinals is planning Francis’ funeral, which will take place Saturday at 10 a.m. local time in St. Peter’s Square, the Vatican announced.
Francis died Monday of a stroke and irreversible heart failure, the Vatican said, ending a 12-year reign marked by his legacy of reform and repeated clashes with world leaders over immigration and economic issues.
Francis, 88, was the 266th occupant of the papacy, which dates back to the apostle Peter. The death of a pope sets in motion a series of ancient rituals and rites that transition from the end of one papacy to the start of the next.
During the meeting, cardinals are also expected to review the day-to-day running of the church in the period before a new head is elected. They will gather in St. Peter’s Basilica for a Mass “invoking the guidance of the Holy Spirit in electing a new pope,” according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
A conclave to choose a new pope normally takes place 15 to 20 days after the death of a pontiff, meaning it should not start before May 6. As of Monday, there were 252 cardinals, of whom 135 are electors, according to the Vatican. Cardinals over the age of 80 are excluded from voting.
Developments:
∎ As tributes pour in, some world leaders have confirmed they will attend Francis’ funeral, including President Donald Trump, Argentine President Javier Milei and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
∎ Francis’ death delayed the canonization of the world’s first millennial saint. A canonization service for Carlo Acutis, a British-born Italian who died of leukemia in 2006 at age 15, was initially scheduled for April 27.
The Vatican released photographs of Francis, dressed in his vestments, in a wooden coffin in the chapel of the Santa Marta residence, where he lived during his 12-year papacy. The casket is open and lined with red cloth. Swiss Guards stand sentry nearby.
The coffin will be carried from the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta to St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday so mourners can pay their respects. In his will, the late pontiff broke from tradition and asked for a “simple” tomb in Rome’s Basilica of Saint Mary Major instead of St. Peter’s Basilica.
On Wednesday, Cardinal Kevin Farrell will preside over the “rite of translation,” which will begin at 9 a.m. local time with a moment of prayer. A procession will start Santa Marta, pass through Santa Marta Square and the Square of the Roman Protomartyrs before reaching St. Peter’s Square and entering the Vatican Basilica.
At the Altar of the Confession, Cardinal Camerlengo will preside over the Liturgy of the Word, part of a Mass, followed by public visitation.
On Saturday, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, will preside over the funeral Mass, which will be concelebrated by patriarchs, cardinals, archbishops, bishops and priests from around the world, the Vatican said.
The pope’s body will be taken into St. Peter’s Basilica and then to the Basilica of St. Mary Major for entombment. In a break from tradition, Francis confirmed in his final testament that he wished to be buried in Rome’s Basilica of Saint Mary Major and not St. Peter’s, where many of his predecessors were laid to rest.
As Catholics mourn the death of Francis and reflect on the pontiff’s legacy as a reformer, questions are emerging about who might follow. Catholics who spoke to the USA TODAY Network were deeply divided.
Some said they wanted the next pope to maintain the church’s more conservative policies on topics like abortion. Others expressed a desire for Francis’ successor to build on the progress he made, particularly around the inclusion of women and LGBTQ+ people.
“He transcended religion. He really welcomed everyone to the church,” said Carl Sawejko, 67, who founded a telecommunications company in southern Massachusetts called Sawejko Enterprises. He said he served as an altar boy at a church in Swansea, Massachusetts, as a child. Read more here.
Contributing: Christopher Cann, Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY; Margie Cullen, Peter D. Kramer, Caitlyn Kelleher, and Katie Landeck, USA TODAY Network; Reuters