The Vatican announced the end of the farewell ceremony for Pope Francis: the coffin with the body of the pontiff was officially closed. About this informs ABC News.
The ceremony of closing the coffin took place on April 26 at 20:00 local time in St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome. During the ceremony, the interim administrator of the Vatican until the election of the new Pope, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, read the act, which was placed in the coffin at the end. Some relatives of Pope Francis also took part in the ceremony.
As noted in the Vatican, prayers and vigils will continue throughout the night before the start of preparations for the Holy Mass. Over three days, about 250,000 people visited St. Peter’s Basilica to say goodbye to the Pope.
We will remind that on April 21, Pope Francis passed away at the age of 88. European and American leaders, in particular the presidents of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, and the US, Donald Trump, expressed their condolences to the Catholic community. In Brazil, in connection with the death of the Pope, a week of mourning was announced.
On April 23, the coffin with the body of Pope Francis was moved to St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. The funeral of Pope Francis is scheduled for April 26 in Rome. The authorities of Italy and the Vatican expect a large influx of visitors and official delegations from all over the world, in connection with which unprecedented security measures have been introduced.
