 "A woman wearing a T-shirt with an image of the late Pope Francis attends a memorial mass at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Guatemala City. On April 26, Pope Francis' funeral will take place at St Peter's Square in Vatican City. AFP")
In a few hours from now, the funeral of Pope Francis will take place in St Peter’s Square in the Vatican before he is buried at Santa Maria Maggiore basilica in Rome.
Here is the official programme of the ceremonies for the late pontiff who died on Monday aged 88:
5:30 am (9 am IST)
St Peter’s Square opens.
9:30 am (1 pm IST)
US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania arrive in St Peter’s Square.
10:00 am (1.30 pm IST)
The funeral mass begins. It will be presided over by Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals. Francis’ wooden and zinc coffin, sealed on Friday evening, will be placed in front of the basilica before a temporary raised altar.
To its left, facing St Peter’s, will sit the red-robed cardinals. To the right, official delegations from around the world, seated in alphabetical order.
The ceremony should last about 90 minutes, with 224 cardinals and 750 priests and bishops in attendance.
It will feature, in chronological order:
— Reading of liturgical texts
— A homily by Cardinal Re
— A universal prayer in several languages
— The consecration of the bread and wine
— Participants exchanging a sign of peace or handshake
— The Eucharist
— A moment of silence
— The sprinkling of holy water on the coffin
At the end of the mass, the coffin will be brought inside St Peter’s Basilica.
Around 11:30 am (3 pm IST)
The coffin leaves for Santa Maria Maggiore , the Rome basilica where Francis will be buried. It will not be possible for mourners to follow the funeral procession but members of the public will be able to watch it pass by from behind metal barriers set along the route.
The hearse will cover about four kilometres, driving at a slow pace through the streets of Rome.
The key points along the route are:
— Porta del Perugino (a western gate out of the Vatican City)
— Crossing the River Tiber
— Corso Vittorio Emanuele
— Piazza Venezia
— Via dei Fori Imperiali
— Colosseum
— Via Labicana
— Via Merulana
Around 13:00 pm (4.30 pm IST)
The coffin arrives at Santa Maria Maggiore, where it will be welcomed by a group of the “poor and needy”.
The burial, presided over by Cardinal Kevin Farrell , who as camerlengo is running the Vatican’s day-to-day affairs until a new pope is elected, will take place in private.