Pope lies in state before Saturday funeral

Thousands of visitors continue to flock to St. Peter’s Basilica to view the body of Pope Francis until his coffin is ceremonially closed on Friday. Viewing began Wednesday morning after church leaders transferred the late pontiff’s body to the basilica. The basilica is scheduled to remain open for mourning and prayers until midnight on Thursday before reopening at 7 a.m. local time Friday. Public viewing is currently scheduled to end at 7 p.m. on Friday, about an hour before church leaders ceremonially seal Francis’ coffin in accordance with liturgical rites.

What’s planned for the funeral? The funeral mass is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. local time, which is 4 a.m. ET. The Vatican planned to livestream the service and interment procession on its YouTube channel and released booklets for both events to accompany the service. A number of world leaders plan to attend the service, including President Donald Trump, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Where will he be buried? The Vatican released a 2022 letter from Francis detailing how he wished to be buried. The late pontiff asked to be buried outside the Vatican City in the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major, also known as the Santa Maria Maggiore. He will mark the eighth pope buried at the Santa Maria Maggiore, a stark contrast to the 90 papal graves at St. Peter's Basilica. He requested a simple tomb with no ornamentation beyond the inscription “Franciscus.” To honor Francis’ devotion to the lowly, a group of people in need will be on the steps of the Saint Mary Major to pay final respects before the pope’s internment, according to the Holy See.

Dig deeper: Read my report for more about the pope’s formal cause of death.