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The funeral will take place in St Peter’s Square outside the basilica, and will be open to the public. There will be a final commendation and valediction, before the coffin is taken inside St Peter’s Basilica for the remainder of the service.
Pope Francis died on 21 April.
Bedford-Strohm said: “Together with the entire Roman Catholic Church, we at the World Council of Churches mourn the loss of an extraordinary shepherd of the people of God.”
Pillay noted that Pope Francis’s passing is being mourned around the world, not least among his many allies and admirers in the ecumenical movement and in the worldwide fellowship of the WCC. “His papacy has been a great gift to the ecumenical movement, and he has been a dedicated collaborator in our efforts toward Christian unity and reconciliation and a prophetic voice for peace, the environment, and justice everywhere,” said Pillay.
Pope Francis, ecumenical prophet of mercy, dies at age 88 (WCC obituary, 21 April 2025)
Voices from the fellowship: mourning Pope Francis (WCC feature story, 24 April 2025)
