The Latest: Pope Francis lies in state ahead of his funeral, set for Saturday

Pope Francis ’ funeral has been set for Saturday at 10 a.m. in St. Peter’s Square, and a viewing of his body will begin on Wednesday in St. Peter’s Basilica, days after the popular pontiff died of a stroke at age 88. He is currently lying in state in the Santa Marta Domus in a private viewing for Vatican residents and the papal household.

Cardinals at the Vatican on Tuesday to schedule Francis’ funeral and burial, to elect his successor and make other decisions about running the Catholic Church as and the ordinary faithful grieve the pontiff’s death.

History’s first Latin American pontiff with his humble style and but with critiques of capitalism and . He last appeared in public on Sunday with an Easter blessing and through a cheering crowd in St. Peter’s Square.

Here's the latest:

What is St. Peter’s Basilica?

Pope Francis’ body will lay in state on the main altar of the 16th century basilica, built over the traditional tomb of the apostle St. Peter. The Renaissance masterpiece is one of the largest Catholic basilicas in the world and is the centerpiece of Vatican City. Its grottoes contain the remains of popes past, and its vast marbled interior is home to some of the Vatican’s greatest treasures -- including Michelangelo’s “Pieta” sculpture and Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s baldacchinio, the gilded canopy over the main altar.

Pope Julius II laid the first stone of the building on the site of a previous church on April 18, 1506. But it took over a century for work to be completed. In the 17th century, Bernini designed the great colonnade that encircles the piazza in front of the basilica, embracing all those who enter. The next pope will be introduced to the world from the loggia over the basilica entrance with the words “Habemus Papam” or “We have a pope.”

Italy begins five days of mourning for Francis

The period of national mourning will run from Tuesday to Saturday. Ceremonies on Friday marking Italy's World War II Liberation Day will be held with “due sobriety,” said Italy’s Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci.

Palestinians in Bethlehem mourn Pope Francis at Manger Square

Bethlehem is home to the , where Christians believe Jesus was born. Pope Francis visited the city in 2014.

“He was our pope, not just our pope, he was our brother, our friend, our dear friend for Bethlehem. He always gave us big hope, he told us that you are not alone,” said Rony Tabash, 43. The Catholic hung photos of Pope Francis outside his souvenir shop that’s been in his family for three generations.

Manger Square and Tuesday’s mass were mostly empty. The Palestinian city in the Israeli-occupied West Bank is dependent on tourism, but visitors and pilgrims have largely stayed away in recent years — first during the pandemic and then during the 18-month .

Work is underway to prepare Francis’ tomb

A wooden barrier on Tuesday covered the niche where Pope Francis will be buried in the Saint Mary Major Basilica, near an icon of Mary that he held dear, rather than St. Peter’s Cathedral or its crypt alongside previous popes

In his will, Francis called for his tomb to be “in the ground; simple, without particular decoration, and with the sole inscription: Franciscus,’’ or Latin for Francis.

Before and after every foreign trip, he would stop to pray before the image of Mary draped in a blue robe, holding the infant Jesus. Francis last went to pray at the icon before Holy Week.

St. Peter’s Basilica will stay open late so the faithful can pay their last respects to Pope Francis

Francis is currently lying in state in the Santa Marta Domus in a private viewing for Vatican residents and the papal household. The Vatican says his body will be transferred Wednesday morning to St. Peter’s Basilica, where he will lie in state from 11 a.m. until midnight on Wednesday, from 7 a.m. until midnight on Thursday, and Friday from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.

Once in St. Peter’s, his casket will not be put on an elevated bier — as was the case with past popes — but will just be be placed simply facing the pews, with the Paschal candle nearby. The basilica is normally open from 7 a.m. until 7:10 p.m.

Security increased in Rome as holy city prepares for crowds

Italian police patrolled St Peter’s Square and the surrounding streets on foot and horseback Tuesday as security in Rome was tightened ahead of Pope Francis’ funeral. Officers in boats controlled the nearby Tiber River.

Tens of thousands of mourners are expected to pay their respects to Francis as he lies in state in St. Peter’s Basilica starting Wednesday. The funeral on Saturday will be attended by many heads of state.

Rome was already packed with tourists, many in the city for the Easter holiday. A Jubilee Mass for adolescents on Sunday is expected to bring thousands of youths to the city.

Day of national mourning in Poland

Poland has declared a day of national mourning on Saturday for the funeral of Pope Francis.

The office of President Andrzej Duda also said that Duda plans to attend the ceremony.

Poland was the homeland of Pope John Paul II, whose death in 2005 prompted a national outpouring of grief. But the response has been more muted this time in a country that has become noticeably more secular.

Cardinals suspend all upcoming beatifications

The cardinals planning the next steps for the Catholic Church following the death of Pope Francis have decided to suspend all upcoming beatifications, pending the election of a new pope.

The decision was taken during the first meeting of the College of Cardinals on Tuesday.

The Vatican had already announced that Sunday’s planned canonization of the first millennial saint, Carlo Acutis, was suspended. But the decision from the cardinals means all other celebrations are on hold until a new pope is elected.

The decision is in keeping with Vatican norms governing the “interregnum” period between the death of one pope and the election of another. Among other things, those norms call for most top Vatican officials to officially lose their jobs until they are reconfirmed or replaced by a new pope.

Crowds wait in line to offer condolences in Jakarta

At Jakarta's Apostolic Nunciature, the official diplomatic mission of the Holy See in Indonesia, crowds gathered in the rain on Tuesday to offer their condolences over the death of the pope.

A somber atmosphere filled the Nunciature as Catholics quietly recited prayers and waited in line to write their condolence messages and meet the Apostolic Nuncio, the Vatican’s permanent diplomatic representative.

“I would like to express my condolences to the Nuncio and pray from this place since we are experiencing limitations in coming to the Vatican,” Heri Wibowo, a Catholic priest from the Archdiocese of Jakarta, said.

He remembered Pope Francis as a humble figure, a quality the pontiff exemplified during his visit in September 2024 to Indonesia, home to the world’s largest Muslim population.

One worshipper, Claudia, 23, who attended the Nunciature with her relatives, said Pope Francis was a father who offered inspiration.

“I am honestly very surprised since he still gave blessings on Easter to us, people all over the world. When I heard the news (of his death) I felt very sad,” Claudia said.

Cardinals meet in wake of pope's death

The Vatican says around 60 cardinals participated in the first meeting to decide next steps following the death of Pope Francis.

They decided that ordinary faithful can pay their respects starting when the casket is moved into St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday, and set Saturday for the funeral and burial.

The cardinals haven’t set a date for the conclave to elect Francis’ successor, but the current norms suggest it couldn’t begin before May 5.

Three cardinals were chosen to help the camerlengo, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, administer the Vatican during the “interregnum” period before the election of a new pope.

Those cardinals are the secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Polish Cardinal Stanisław Ryłko, archpriest of the St. Mary Major basilica where Francis will be buried, and Cardinal Fabbio Baggio, a top official in the Vatican’s development and migrants office.

They will be replaced after three days with another three cardinals to help the interim Vatican administrator.

China expresses condolences for pope who made effort to mend Beijing-Vatican rift

China expressed condolences over the passing of Pope Francis, who reached out to Beijing in an effort to improve relations and mend a seven-decade rift between a state-recognized Catholic church and an underground church loyal to Rome.

Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Guo Jiakun said: “China is ready to work with the Vatican side to continue the improvement of China-Vatican ties.”

The country’s Catholic community was divided when the Communist Party came to power and claimed the right to name bishops without consulting the Vatican.

In 2018, Francis's Vatican brokered a deal with China that granted Rome's approval to the bishops Beijing had picked. The provisional agreement was renewed in October 2024.

Vatican announces funeral plans

Pope Francis’ funeral has been set for Saturday at 10 a.m. in St. Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College of Cardinals.

The cardinals have also decided that the public viewing of Pope Francis will begin Wednesday in St. Peter’s Basilica, after his casket is taken by procession from the Vatican hotel where he lived.

The master of liturgical ceremonies, Archbishop Diego Ravelli, issued the rubrics for the procession by mandate of the College of Cardinals, which met Tuesday to take the first decisions following Francis’ death. Presiding over the procession and the ritual transfer will be the , or interim administrator of the Vatican, Cardinal Kevin Farrell.

Filipinos remember a pope who cared for the sick and survivors of natural disasters

Hundreds of Filipinos, some openly weeping, gathered for a mass at the Manila Cathedral on Tuesday to bid goodbye to the late pope, whom they remember for his outreach to the poor and survivors of natural disasters, which often devastate their country.

“He’s a rare progressive pope, who took up a lot of causes and showed a deep concern for the poor,” said Cynthia Esquilona, a 50-year-old mother of two who lit a candle and prayed before a portrait of Francis at the cathedral.

Another worshipper, Conchita Mil, quietly wept as she sat in a pew and thanked Francis for dedicating his papacy to the needy and the sick. Mil, 69, said she has breast cancer.

Francis visited the Philippines, a Catholic bastion in Asia, in early 2015 to console survivors of Typhoon Haiyan, which left thousands of people dead. Pictures showing him rain-soaked in stormy weather but constantly waving and blowing kisses to crowds of typhoon survivors have left a lasting impression.

First images of pope's body released

They showed him in a wooden casket, in red vestments and his bishop’s miter, with the Vatican secretary of state praying over him in the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta hotel where he lived.

The images were taken during a ritual to confirm the death, presided over by the , or interim administrator of the Vatican, Cardinal Kevin Farrell.

Two Swiss Guards stood at attention as Farrell blessed Francis with holy water, the pope’s hands clasped around a rosary.

Australian candidates cancel campaign events

Both Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and opposition leader Peter Dutton planned for Tuesday out of respect for the late pontiff, as early voting began for a May 3 general election.

Flags were flown at half staff from government buildings across the country where a 2021 census found 20% of the population were Catholics.

Albanese was raised as a Catholic but chose to be sworn in as prime minister when he was elected in 2022 by making a secular affirmation rather than by taking an oath on a Bible.

Albanese attended a Mass in honor of the pope in Melbourne’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Tuesday morning.

“I try not to talk about my faith in public,” Albanese told reporters, but added “At times like this, I think what people do is they draw on who they are and certainly my Catholicism is just a part of me."

Dutton, who was raised by a Catholic father and Protestant mother and attended an Anglican school, planned to go to a church service in Sydney.

“I don’t think it’s a day for overt politicking at all. I think that the day is best spent reflecting,” Dutton told Australian Broadcasting Corp.

India declares 3 days of mourning

The Indian flag flew at half-staff on Tuesday at all government buildings as the country observed three days of mourning as a mark of the respect for Pope Francis.

The Indian flag will be flown half-staff on government buildings across the country for the next two days, as well as on the day of the pontiff’s funeral, the Home Ministry said in a statement.

Taiwan's Catholics remember Francis

Members of Taiwan's Catholic community gathered at a church in the capital Taipei for a somber mass as believers prayed and reflected on Francis’ spiritual legacy.

Former Premier Chen Chien-jen, a devout Catholic who visited the Vatican multiple times at the invitition of Francis and previous popes, spoke of the deep loss felt by the faithful.

Chen said “Pope Francis has led all of our churches to thrive over the past 12 years, making significant contributions to world peace and environmental sustainability,” Chen added. “We will remember the teachings he gave us: that we are all brothers and that loving one another makes the world a more peaceful place.”

Bernard Li, former president of Fu Jen Catholic University, highlighted the pope’s compassion and dedication to humanitarian causes.

“He was a compassionate pope who has consistently advocated for world peace and racial equality,” Li said.

President Lai Ching-te ordered flags to fly at half-staff on Tuesday in a show of mourning and respect.

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