The Vatican has confirmed that the Funeral Mass for Pope Francis will be held on Saturday, April 26 at 10:00 a.m. in the churchyard of St. Peter’s Basilica.

The Mass will mark the beginning of the Novendiali, the traditional nine-day period of mourning observed after the death of a pope.

Senior church leaders will begin arriving early that morning. Patriarchs and Cardinals are expected at the Chapel of San Sebastiano by 9:00 a.m., wearing the white damask miter. Archbishops and Bishops should be at the Braccio di Costantino by 8:30 a.m., dressed in the amice, alb, cincture, and a simple white miter. Priests are also to arrive by 8:30 a.m. at the same location, making their way directly to the area reserved for them in St. Peter’s Square with the required vestments, including the red stole.

Following the Mass, final prayers and farewell rites will be conducted. Pope Francis’ coffin will then be taken into St. Peter’s Basilica before proceeding to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore for burial.