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VATICAN, ROME | TASS | Pope Francis’ coffin will be taken to St. Peter’s Basilica on April 23 for the faithful to pay their final respects, the Holy See press service said.
The coffin will be carried across St. Peter’s Square from the Casa Santa Marta residence outside the Vatican’s walls. It will be taken into the basilica through its central gate.
Security has already been heightened in Rome as numerous pilgrims and people wishing to say goodbye to the pontiff are expected in the city.
Members of Pope Francis’ close circle have already begun to pay their last respects in a chapel at Casa Santa Marta. The first photos of the pope in an open coffin show him dressed in a red robe with the papal mitre on his head. The public commemorative ceremony will last three days.
Pope Francis’ funeral ceremony is set for Saturday, April 26.
Pope Francis died on Monday morning at the age of 88. His death was caused by a stroke leading to a coma and heart failure. The day before his passing, on Easter Sunday, the pontiff made a tour of St. Peter’s Square in a popemobile, blessing the faithful. In February and March, Pope Francis was hospitalized with severe pneumonia.
