Pope Francis I’s funeral announced by Vatican as public invited to pay respects
Vatican cardinals were charged with deciding a date for the funeral ceremony this week. Now it is decided, the entire process is set to take several days to complete
The Vatican has decided a date for the funeral after a key meeting
Matthew Young in Rome
Vatican officials have officially set a date for the funeral of Pope Francis I following a key meeting less than 24 hours after his death was announced.
The first congregation of the Cardinals met in the Synod Hall this morning to discuss when to hold the service for the Pope, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who died aged 88 on Easter Monday. The congregation, summoned by Deacon of the College of Cardinals Giovanni Batista Re, was due to set a funeral date between Friday and Sunday this week allowing people around the world to say goodbye to the widely respected late church leader. They met at 9am local time (8am BST) before announcing the funeral date as this Saturday, April 27, in the first of a series of “general congregations”.
Pope Francis’ body will be moved to St Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday
