Pope Francis to be moved to St Peter’s Basilica for public mourning » Capital News

VATICAN, Apr 23 – Pope Francis’s body will be moved from his residence at the Vatican to lie in state at St Peter’s Basilica

According to the official itinerary, the coffin carrying the Pope will be taken from Casa Santa Martato St Peter’s Basilica at 09:00 Vatican time (which is 10:00 East Africa Time)

A procession will pass through the Piazza Santa Marta and Piazza dei Protomartiri Romani before entering St Peter’s Basilica

Cardinal Kevin Farrell will preside over the Liturgy of the Word, which is made up of mostly readings from the Bible.

The Pope’s coffin will remain there for the public to pay their respects until his funeral on Saturday.

Tens of thousands of mourners have been descending on Vatican City over the last two days to pay their respects to Pope Francis, who died of a stroke on Easter Monday aged 88.

Pope Francis will be buried at St Mary Major Basilica, making him the first pope since Leo XIII, who died in 1903, to be buried outside the Vatican.

Donald Trump, Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Volodymyr Zelensky are among world leaders set to attend the the funeral. Kensington Palace also announced that Prince William would travel to the Vatican on behalf of his father, King Charles.