The Holy See Press Office, Vatican, announced on Tuesday, April 22, that the body of the late Pope Francis will be laid to rest on Saturday, April 26, at 10:00 a.m.
Pope Francis will be buried at St Mary Major Basilica (Santa Maria Maggiore), as per his request.
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“I’ve always had a great devotion to St Mary Major, even before I became pope,” Francis wrote in his 2024 book El Sucesor (The Successor).
U.S. President Donald Trump said he will attend the funeral of Pope Francis, in what will be his first foreign trip in his second administration.
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“Melania and I will be going to the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome. We look forward to being there!” Trump posted on Truth Social Monday afternoon, referring to First Lady Melania Trump.
Also Read: Why the Catholic Pope is World’s Most Protected Clergy and How He is Guarded
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World Leaders Attending Pope Francis’ Funeral
Prince William — who, as heir to the throne, is also the future head of the Church of England — will represent his father, King Charles III, according to a statement from Kensington Palace.
- ARGENTINA – President Javier Milei
- BELGIUM – King Philippe and Queen Mathilde; Prime Minister Bart De Wever
- BRITAIN – Prince William; Prime Minister Keir Starmer
- BRAZIL – President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva; First Lady Janja Lula da Silva
- EUROPEAN UNION – Commission President Ursula von der Leyen; Council President António Costa; Parliament President Roberta Metsola
- EAST TIMOR – President José Ramos-Horta; Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Bendito Freitas
- FRANCE – President Emmanuel Macron
- GERMANY – President Frank-Walter Steinmeier; Outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz
- HUNGARY – President Tamás Sulyok
- ITALY – President Sergio Mattarella; Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni
- LATVIA – President Edgars Rinkēvičs
- LITHUANIA – President Gitanas Nausėda
- POLAND – President Andrzej Duda
- ROMANIA – Interim President Ilie Bolojan
- SPAIN – King Felipe and Queen Letizia
- SWITZERLAND – President Karin Keller-Sutter
- UKRAINE – President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
- UNITED STATES – President Donald Trump; First Lady Melania Trump
Also Read: Vatican Announces Pope Francis Funeral Date and Schedule
Pope’s Burial Wishes
Pope Francis died at 9:45 a.m. on Monday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88 at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta.
In his final statement, dated 29 June 2022, Pope Francis requested that his tomb should be in the ground; simple, without particular ornamentation, bearing only the inscription: Franciscus.
“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,” read the testament.
“I ask that my tomb be prepared in the burial niche in the side aisle between the Pauline Chapel (Chapel of the Salus Populi Romani) and the Sforza Chapel of the Basilica, as shown in the attached plan.”
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