Pope Francis: Last honor in St. Peter's Basilica - ceremony for millions

Pope Francis: Last honor in St. Peter's Basilica - ceremony for millions

Today, on April 24, 2025, believers have the last opportunity to say goodbye to Pope Francis. The late Pope is located on the open coffin in St. Peter's Basilica, and the opening times are from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tens of thousands of pilgrims and citizens have already come to pay the last honor to the 266th Bishop of Rome. At 8:00 p.m. in a solemn ceremony, the coffin is closed under the direction of cardinal treasurer Kevin Farrell.

Franziskus, born as Jorge Mario Bergoglio on December 17, 1936 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, died on April 21, 2025 at 7.35 a.m. His death was officially announced by Cardinal Farrell, the Vatican Camerlengo. The Pope, who came from an Italian family of immigrants, grew up in a Catholic family and had a modest childhood, shaped by a lung disease in his youth, which resulted in a lung amputation. This experience developed his empathy for suffering people and his tireless efforts for social justice.

requiem and burial

The requiem for Pope Francis takes place on Saturday morning on St. Peter's Square, in which numerous state guests, including the Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen and Chancellor Christian Stocker, will also take part. After the funeral service, the coffin is brought to the basilica Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. In Austria at 10 a.m. all church bells ring at the same time as the celebrations in Rome.

Pope Francis was ordained a priest in 1969 and had various leading positions in the Jesuit order in the following years. His appointment as Archbishop of Buenos Aires took place in 1998, and in 2001 he was appointed cardinal by Pope John Paul II. On March 13, 2013, he was elected Pope and chose the name Franziskus - a symbol of modesty and social responsibility.

legacy and influences

Francis also campaigned for interreligious dialogue, solidarity with migrants and the fight against clericalism. His legacy is left as an inheritance that the next head of the church should continue. The last hours in St. Peter's Basilica are not only a farewell, but also a memory of the profound changes and challenges that the Catholic Church was opposite under its leadership.

The late Pope leaves a church that actively asks the urgent questions of today - a legacy that will live on in the hearts of many. For more information about the life and work of Pope Francis see [Bistum Regensburg] (https://bistum-regensburg.de/news/apst-franziskus-leben-heology-und- and- Zeitung] (https://www.kleinezeitung.at/service/newsticker/aussenpolitik/19614626/Glaeubige-koenne-tag-zum-sarg-des-papstes).