Pope Francis’ body could be transferred to St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday morning, so that the faithful may pray before his mortal remains, the Holy See Press Office said on Tuesday.
In a report from the Vatican News, the Holy See Press Office Director Matteo Bruni told journalists that the “translation of the Holy Father’s mortal remains to the Vatican Basilica, for the veneration of all the faithful, may take place on the morning of Wednesday, April 23, 2025.”
This will be determined and communicated, following the first Congregation of the Cardinals, Bruni said.
The Holy See Press Office also announced earlier that the rite of ascertainment of death and placement of the late Pope Francis’ body in the coffin will take place on Monday, 8:00 PM Rome time.
According to a report from the Vatican News, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, will preside over the rite in the Chapel of the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta.
In the announcement, the Press Office indicated that those present will include the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, and family members of the late Pope Francis, along with Dr. Andrea Arcangeli and Dr. Luigi Carbone, the Director and Deputy Director of the Directorate of Health and Hygiene, respectively, the Vatican News reported.
Pope Francis, or Jorge Mario Bergoglio, died on Monday aged 88, due to a stroke, followed by a coma and irreversible cardio circulatory collapse, as reported in the official certification from the Directorate of Health and Hygiene of the Vatican City State.
According to the medical report, the Pope suffered acute respiratory failure caused by multimicrobial bilateral pneumonia, multiple bronchiectases, high blood pressure, and Type II diabetes.
Popularly known as the “People’s Pope”, he is the first pope from Latin America and defended the most underprivileged and discriminated, such as migrants and communities severely affected by climate change.
In 2015, Pope Francis made a pastoral and state visit to the Philippines with the theme “Mercy and Compassion,” in Filipino “Habag at Malasakit.”
During the visit, the Pope also visited victims of Typhoon Yolanda (International name: Haiyan) and shared a meal with survivors of the typhoon and of the earlier Bohol earthquake.
His visit to the Philippines in January 2015 is considered the largest papal event in history, with around 6-7 million attendees in his final Mass at Manila, surpassing even the then-largest papel event at World Youth Day in 1995, also in Manila, reports said.
