The Holy See Press Office has announced that Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, will preside over the solemn rite of sealing the coffin of Pope Francis on Friday, April 25, 2025, at 8:00 PM in St. Peter’s Basilica.
This ceremony follows the recent transfer of the late pontiff’s body from the Casa Santa Marta to St. Peter’s Basilica, where Pope Francis has been lying in state since Wednesday. The rite of sealing is a significant part of the traditional papal funeral proceedings, marking the closure of the coffin before the final funeral Mass.
Cardinal Farrell, who has played a key role since the pope’s passing on Easter Monday, April 21, also led the earlier rite of the Confirmation of Death and the Rite of Translation of the body into the basilica. The public has been paying respects during the three-day lying-in-state period, with St. Peter’s Basilica open from early morning until late evening.
The funeral Mass for Pope Francis is scheduled for Saturday, April 26, at 10:00 AM in St. Peter’s Square, to be presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals. The Mass will be attended by church leaders from around the world as well as numerous dignitaries.
The rite of sealing on Friday evening will symbolically conclude the public viewing and prepare the late pope’s body for entombment, which will take place following the funeral.