Pope Francis' coffin to be sealed on Friday evening

Tens of thousands of mourners have filed past Pope Francis lying in state. Image: Vatican Media

Source: Vatican Media

Pope Francis' coffin will be sealed during a liturgical rite held in St Peter's Basilica on Friday evening, 25 April, at 8pm.

Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, will preside at the Rite of Sealing of the Coffin of the late Pope Francis, ahead of the papal funeral on Saturday morning.

The liturgical rite will be attended by several Cardinals and Holy See officials.

It will mark the end of public viewing in St Peter's Basilica, which has seen tens of thousands of people pay their respects to the late Pope.

As his mortal remains lie in state, more than 90,000 people have already filed past the Altar of the Confession since the Vatican Basilica opened to the faithful on Wednesday morning.

St Peter's Basilica remained open until 5.30am on Thursday, closing for just an hour and a half before reopening at 7am. So many mourners have come to St Peter's today to pay their respects to Pope Francis lying in state, the Basilica will be open all night and all day, until the coffin is sealed on Friday at 8pm.

The Office for the Liturgical Celebrations requested the presence at the Rite of Sealing of the Coffin on Friday of Cardinals Giovanni Battista Re, Pietro Parolin, Roger Mahony, Domenique Mamberti, Mauro Gambetti, Baldassare Reina, and Konrad Krajewski.

Those assisting the rite will also include Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, Archbishop Ilson de Jesus Montanari, Monsignor Leonardo Sapienza, the Canons of the Vatican Chapter, the Ordinary Minor Penitentiaries of the Vatican, the late Pope's secretaries, and others admitted by the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, Archbishop Diego Ravelli.

Pope Francis' Funeral Mass will take place on Saturday, April 26, at 10am in St Peter's Square, marking the beginning of the Novemdiales, an ancient tradition of nine days of mourning and Masses for the repose of the late Pope's soul.

The Novemdiales Masses will be held each day at 5pm local time in St Peter's Basilica, except for the Mass on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 27, which will take place at 10.30am in St Peter's Square. (See more details in ICN listings)