Cardinal Camerlengo to Preside at Pope's Casket Closing and Burial

Camerlengo Cardinal Kevin Farrell will preside over the closing of Pope Francis' coffin in St. Peter's Basilica on Friday, as well as his burial in the Basilica of St. Mary Major, where the pontiff will be laid to rest.

The closing of the coffin and the funeral will also be attended by the dean of the college of cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re, as well as six other cardinals, including Roger Michael Mahony, protodeacon Dominique Mamberti and the archbishop of the Basilica, Mauro Gambetti.

Also present at the ceremony will be the Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, the Vicar General of Rome Baldassare Reina and the Pope's Almoner Konrad Krajewski, along with several archbishops and secretaries of Francis, according to a decision by the College of Cardinals, announced by the Vatican.

Cardinal Re will officiate the funeral on Saturday at 10 am (9 am in mainland Portugal) in St. Peter's Square, in a ceremony that is expected to be attended by heads of state from around the world.

The Pope's coffin will then be transferred to the church of Santa Maria Maggiore for burial, in accordance with the Argentine pontiff's will.

Last year, the Pope simplified the funeral rites in the document "Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis" and, among other things, stipulated that his body would lie in state in the chapel of his residence, and not in the Palace, and that his body would be displayed to the faithful in an open coffin and not on a catafalque in the basilica.

In his will, released Monday, Pope Francis declared his wish to be buried in a simple tomb.

"I request that my tomb be prepared in the niche of the side nave between the Pauline Chapel (Chapel of the Salus Populi Romani) and the Sforza Chapel of the aforementioned Papal Basilica, as indicated in the attached document. The tomb must be buried, simple, without special decoration and with the sole inscription Franciscus," said the will released after his death at the age of 88.

Thousands of faithful wait to enter St. Peter's Basilica to bid the Pope a final farewell, after dozens have already been able to pay their respects to the pontiff.

The basilica will remain open on Wednesday until midnight (local time) and will reopen tomorrow at 7:00 am (6:00 am in mainland Portugal) until Friday at 7:00 pm (6:00 pm), when it will be closed to begin the rite of closing the coffin.