Pope Francis Set to Be Laid to Rest on Saturday; Public Viewing from Today

Francis chose burial near his favorite Madonna icon in a basilica across town, not in St. Peter's grottoes as is typical for popes

- Associated Press

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis will be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St. Peter's Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history's first Latin American pontiff.

The cardinals met on Tuesday in the Vatican's synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis' successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10.

The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10 a.m. (local time) in St. Peter's Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re. U.S. President Donald Trump said he and first lady Melania Trump plan to attend, and Argentine President Javier Milei is also expected.

The Argentine pope died on Monday at age 88 after a stroke put him in a coma and led his heart to fail.

He had been recovering in his apartment after being hospitalized for five weeks with pneumonia. He made his last public appearance on Sunday, delivering an Easter blessing and greeting followers from his popemobile, looping around St. Peter's Square.

His Easter appearance from the same loggia where he was introduced to the world as the first pope from the Americas on March 13, 2013, was a fitting bookend to a 12-year papacy that sought to shake up the church and return it to its Gospel-mandated mission of caring for the poorest.