Cardinals hold 4th General Congregation, prepare for
‘funeral of shepherd’
Cardinals present in Rome hold their fourth General
Congregation on Friday morning, as the papal liturgist explains that Pope
Francis’ funeral Mass will be that of “a shepherd, not a sovereign.”
By Vatican News
The Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni,
briefed journalists on Friday about the fourth General Congregation of
Cardinals, held in the Vatican’s New Synod Hall.
He said 149 Cardinals were present for the meeting of the
body that governs the Church during the interregnum period following the death
of the Pope.
The Congregation began with a moment of prayer at 9:10 AM
and lasted until 12:20 PM, and there were 33 interventions from the Cardinals
on the Church and the world.
The Cardinals heard the reading of the apostolic
constitution Universi Dominici Gregis continued through
paragraph 32.
At the end of the meeting, the Master of Papal Liturgical
Celebrations, Archbishop Diego Ravelli, address the Cardinals to explain the
funeral rite for Pope Francis, noting that it will be the funeral of a
shepherd, not of a sovereign.
Archbishop Ravelli added that the late Pope’s body will not
be exposed on a catafalque, or raised platform.
At the funeral Mass on Saturday at 10:00 AM, visiting
dignitaries will be arranged according to protocol. The Presidents of Argentina
(the Pope’s homeland) and then of Italy, followed by members of royal
households and the other presidents in French alphabetical order.
The complete list of delegations will be released later on
Friday afternoon.
Mr. Bruni explained that the procession with the vehicle
carrying the Pope’s body to St. Mary Major will leave from the Perugino Door to
the Vatican and that it will not pass through St. Peter’s Square.
The procession toward St. Mary Major will take about half an
hour, he said, adding that the Pope’s coffin will be visible.
Mr. Bruni said the interment at the late Pope’s tomb in St.
Mary Major will be a private act.
On Sunday afternoon, the Cardinals will go to the Marian
Basilica at around 4:00 p.m, where they will pass through the Holy Door, visit
Pope Francis’s tomb, and then gather in the Pauline Chapel where the icon
of Maria Salus Populi Romani is housed. They will then pray
Vespers together.
In conclusion, Mr. Bruni said that around 150,000 people
have paid their respects to the late Pope in St. Peter’s Basilica, as of noon
on Friday.
The Vatican Basilica closes at 7:00 PM on Friday, though
entry to the queue will end at 6:00 PM.
At 8:00 PM, Cardinal Camerlengo Kevin Farrell will preside
at the Rite of Sealing of the Coffin.
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