Pope Francis: Moving transfer to St. Peter's Basilica started

Pope Francis: Moving transfer to St. Peter's Basilica started

Petersdom, Rom, Italien - On April 23, 2025, Pope Francis' body will be brought to St. Peter's Basilica. This overpass began two days after his death, which came to a brain strike on Easter Monday at the age of 88. The open coffin with the remains was worn from the papal residence Santa Marta to the basilica and, accompanied by dozens of cardinals, and Swiss gardists. During the transfer, the dead bell of the St. Peter's Cathedral heralded, which underlined the seriousness of the event. The late Pope will be laid out in St. Peter's Basilica until Friday evening, where believers can say goodbye from 11:00 a.m.

The burial of Pope Francis, which is planned for Saturday, is accompanied by state guests from all over the world. Among the expected participants are the Austrian Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen and ÖVP Federal Chancellor Christian Stocker. Interestingly, Francis is not buried in St. Peter's Basilica, but in the Marienkirche Santa Maria Maggiore, which has met his express wish. This illustrates the compliance with the traditions associated with the death of a Pope, in particular the offering of cardinals and important personalities at the funeral.

preparations for the conclave

The death of Pope Francis triggers a procedure after centuries -old traditions. A compliance of the cardinals for the choice of a successor is convened, which, according to the rules of the Vatican, must begin between the 15th and 20th day after the Pope's death, i.e. between May 5 and 10. The conclave is traditionally kept secret, and there were many interesting twists in the history of the Pope elections. In this regard, the recently published book "White smoke and false monks - a different story of the Pope's choice" by Stefan von Kempis is recommended, which deals with the expiry of a pope election and the confidentiality of the conclave.

The preparations for the funeral are already in full swing, and Pope Francis' coffin is closed on Friday evening. A central nationwide requiem will take place on Tuesday in the Sankt Hedwigs-Cathedral in Berlin, led by Bishop Georg Bätzing. In addition to the Austrian Federal President, German politicians such as Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Olaf Scholz will also travel to Rome for funeral. Leading politicians will also take part from abroad, including US President Donald Trump and the Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj.

For more information about the current events and preparations, read the details at Vol.at, Welt.de and [vatican News] (https://www.vaticannews.va/de/vatikan/2025-04/buch-konklave story-kempis-kemtikan-kardinaele.html).