Pope’s Funeral Service Set to Commence with Solemn Procession through St. Peter’s Basilica
By Our REPORTER
VATICAN CITY – A deeply solemn and historic day unfolds in the heart of the Vatican as preparations reach their final stages for the funeral service of Pope Francis. The day begins with a series of carefully coordinated processions and religious gatherings, marking the culmination of days of mourning and prayer.
At 08:30 local time (07:30 BST), archbishops and bishops will begin assembling in the Constantine Wing, a corridor adjoining St. Peter’s Basilica. Simultaneously, hundreds of Catholic priests will gather in St. Peter’s Square, readying themselves to join the funeral proceedings.
At 09:00, patriarchs from the Orthodox Church and Catholic cardinals will gather in the Saint Sebastian Chapel inside the basilica—significantly, the final resting place of Pope John Paul II. From there, they will proceed in a solemn funeral procession, accompanying the Pope’s coffin, which has lain in state at the center of the basilica for the past four days, drawing tens of thousands of mourners.
The official funeral service is scheduled to begin at 10:00 AM local time. At that moment, the Pope’s coffin will be carried into the square in front of St. Peter’s Basilica, where the Mass will be celebrated by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals.
Seating arrangements for the service reflect the gravity of the occasion. Guests and dignitaries from around the world, including heads of state, ambassadors, and religious leaders, will be placed close to the basilica and coffin. Thousands of other clergy, pilgrims, and faithful will gather in and around St. Peter’s Square to pay their final respects, in a scene reminiscent of the funeral of Pope Benedict XVI.
Security around the Vatican remains tight, with thousands of personnel deployed to manage the crowds and ensure the safety of all participants. Broadcasts of the service are being transmitted globally, allowing millions around the world to join in mourning and prayer.
As bells toll and the Vatican prepares to bid farewell to a deeply influential spiritual leader, the atmosphere is one of reverence, grief, and profound gratitude for a papacy marked by humility, dialogue, and unwavering commitment to the Gospel.
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