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The Vatican has released images of Pope Francis being laid out in an open coffin ahead of the Confirmation of the Death of the Pontiff ceremony.
His Holiness died Monday after suffering a stroke that led to irreversible heart failure following a weeks-long hospitalization with pneumonia. He was 88.
The pontiff’s body had been placed in the coffin late Monday night, with Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Vatican camerlengo — the “chamberlain” who essentially acts as head of the Vatican between the end of a papacy and the start of the next — reading the official declaration of death aloud in an intimate ceremony.
A seal was also placed on the papal apartment in the Apostolic Palace, as well as the Chapel of Santa Marta, where he had lived.
In images shared by the Vatican Tuesday, the pontiff can be seen lying in his vestments with a rosary in hand.
Ceremonial guards can be seen standing on both sides of the coffin as Vatican officials and members of the pontifical household attended the private viewing.
The official Lying-in-State period is set to begin Wednesday, which welcomes the public to enter St Peter’s Basilica to pay their final respects.
“The transfer of the body of the Holy Father to the Vatican Basilica for the homage of all the faithful could take place on Wednesday morning,” said Matteo Bruni, the Vatican spokesman.
Cardinals gathered in the Vatican Tuesday morning to kickstart funeral plans, as well as the elaborate ceremony which marks the end of the papacy ahead of the next.
The process to select a new pope — called a conclave — generally takes place between 15 and 20 days after the pontiff’s death.
The first meeting of the Congregation of Cardinals is expected to commence Tuesday morning in the Vatican’s synod hall.
Later on, the congregation will determine when the Pope’s body can be moved into St. Peter’s Basilica for public viewing.
Once there, his coffin will not be placed on an elevated bier. Instead, the public will see his coffin facing the pews alongside the Pasqual candle.
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As for the funeral, Pope Francis will be buried between Friday and Sunday, under norms he approved last year.
He had also made plans for his body to be placed in a simple wooden coffin with a zinc coffin inside — a stark contrast to the three wooden coffins previous pontiffs had opted for.
Read more on Pope Francis’ death
- Here are the top cardinals who could replace Pope Francis after the conclave
- What happens now that Pope Francis has died?
- Pope Francis’ burial plans differ drastically from his predecessors
- Pope Francis, the first pontiff from the Americas, dead at 88
- Real-world ‘Conclave’: Inside the Pope Francis succession drama
“As I sense the approaching twilight of my earthly life, and with firm hope in eternal life, I wish to set out my final wishes solely regarding the place of my burial,” the Pope said in his final testament ahead of his death.
“Throughout my life, and during my ministry as a priest and bishop, I have always entrusted myself to the, mother of our lord, the blessed Virgin Mary.”
He continued, “For this reason, I ask that my mortal remains rest – awaiting the day of the resurrection – in the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major.
“I wish my final earthly journey to end precisely in this ancient Marian sanctuary, where I would always stop to pray at the beginning and end of every apostolic journey, confidently entrusting my intentions to the Immaculate Mother, and giving thanks for her gentle and maternal care.”
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