The world will offer a last farewell this weekend to Pope Francis, who leaves behind an inheritance shaped by his efforts to revitalize the Church, from the absence of office abuse to the widening of dialogue around climate change, migration and inclusion.
The Argentinian pontiff died on Monday at the age of 88 of a stroke that led to a coma and an irreversible heart failure, according to the best doctors in the Vatican.
He came after Francis – who suffered from a chronic pulmonary disease and had part of a lung withdrawn when he was younger – was admitted to the Gemelli hospital on February 14, for a respiratory crisis which evolved into double pneumonia. He spent a total of 38 days there before he was released to recover in his apartment, and he made his last public appearance on Easter Sunday, offering a blessing and greeting the followers of his Potemobile while he completed around Saint-Pierre.
Until his funeral this weekend, Francis’ body, adorned with his papal clothes, will remain in a state of the Saint-Pierre basilica.
Here’s how to look:
When is the funeral of the Pope?
The funeral of Pope Francis are in Vatican City on Saturday at 10 a.m., the local time, which means that American viewers will have to connect in the early hours of the morning – 4 a.m., 3 a.m., 3 a.m. CT, 2 h 00 mt and 1 hour PT – to catch mass. It should be held on Saint-Pierre square or inside the basilica, depending on the weather.
Where to look at the funeral of Pope Francis:
The majority of the main television network across the United States will broadcast funeral, including NBC, CBS, CNN and ABC. Some banners are also planned for direct service air coverage, including Peacock, Paramount +, Disney + and Hulu.
International viewers should also be able to look at procedures with popular broadcasters, such as BBC in the United Kingdom as well as Globo News and CNN Brasil in Brazil. And those in Canada should be able to look on CTV and CBC while Spanish viewers can attend the ceremony on Televisión Española
The Vatican said he would also provide live coverage on the Vatican news channel, which also broadcast a large part of the rites this week.
What to expect the funeral – and which will be present:
The service, which will be led by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the Cardinal College, should draw dignitaries from 170 foreign delegations – including at least 50 heads of state and 10 reigning sovereigns – as well as tens of thousands of ordinary people hoping to pay tribute.
President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump should be one of the people present, as was former president Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden.
The Saturday ceremony will start with a procession, held only after the Pope is sealed in his coffin on Friday, marking the end of the public viewing period. However, it will be much more humble than those held for past popes; Francis last year simplified the rules for papal funerals and asked for a simple wooden coffin for his own burial.
What’s going on after the funeral?
After the mass, the Vatican said that the Pope’s body “will be taken to the Saint-Pierre basilica and then to the Basilica of St. Mary Major”, 2.5 miles away. He chose it as an burial place because it was there that he prayed before and after each trip to Rome, as well as in difficult times like the Pandemic Covid-19.
Most live covers will end at the start of the burial.
Originally published:
California Daily Newspapers
