Cintia A. , Lebledparle.com
The world is mourning the death of late Pope Francis of his real name Jorge Mario Bergoglio who passed away on April 21 Easter Monday at the age of 88 following a stroke and cardiac arrest. Funeral rites began yesterday with ascertainment of death and the placement of his body and today the Vatican release images of his body lying in state in an open casket at the Casa Santa Marta, the papal residence where he lived during his papacy. According to Vatican protocol, his body will later be transferred tomorrow Wednesday, April 23, to St. Peter’s Basilica, where it will remain for public viewing until the evening before the funeral on April 26. Thousands are expected to file past his body to bid farewell to the first Latin American pope and the first Jesuit to lead the Catholic Church.
Unlike the traditional papal standard, Pope Francis will not be buried beneath St. Peter’s Basilica. Instead, to fulfill his desired wish, he will be laid to rest at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, a church he visited frequently during his reign and to which he had a deep spiritual devotion.
World leaders and religious dignitaries from around the globe are expected to attend the funeral Mass, which will be presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re.
