The pontiffs body will lie in state in St. Peters Basilica until Saturday, the Holy See Press Office has said

The funeral Mass for Pope Francis will be held on Saturday, April 26 in St. Peter's Square, the Holy See Press Office announced on Tuesday.

The Vatican stated that Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, will preside at the service, which will be "concelebrated by patriarchs, cardinals, archbishops, bishops, and priests from across the globe."

The late Pope's body will then be taken into St. Peter's Basilica and then onward to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore for entombment.

The Vatican has confirmed that the Pope's body will lie in state inside St. Peter's Basilica from Wednesday morning, where the faithful will be allowed to pay their respects. Viewing will begin at 9:00am on April 23 and continue until the day of the funeral.

Francis died on the morning of Easter Monday at the age of 88, according to the Holy See. He passed away at his residence in Casa Santa Marta, Vatican City.

The official cause of death was listed as "stroke, followed by a coma and irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse," according to Dr. Andrea Arcangeli, Director of the Directorate of Health and Hygiene of the Vatican City State. He had also been suffering from multiple chronic illnesses, including pneumonia, hypertension, and diabetes.

The Pope was last seen in public on April 20 during Easter Mass. Although his address was delivered by clergy due to his failing health, he rose from his wheelchair and waved to the crowd, saying: "Dear brothers and sisters, happy Easter."

According to his final testament, released by the Vatican, Francis requested a simple tomb "in the ground; simple, without particular ornamentation, and bearing only the inscription: Franciscus."

His final resting place will be at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, fulfilling his wish to rest near the icon of the Virgin Mary, Salus Populi Romani. This departs from the tradition of papal burials beneath St. Peter's Basilica.

Pope Francie was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in the Argentinian capital, Buenos Aires, in 1936. He became a priest in the late 1960s and was elected pope in 2013, becoming the first Latin American and first Jesuit pontiff in history.

His 12-year papacy was marked by a focus on humility, social justice, and interfaith dialogue. He was highly regarded for his advocacy for the poor, environmental stewardship, and efforts to reform the Catholic Church.

He also worked towards improving relations between the Catholic Church and other religious denominations, visiting the Arabian Peninsula and Iraq as well as seeing Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill in 2016, in the first such meeting of its kind.

(RT.com)