Thousands of the faithful should go to Rome in the coming days to pay honors to Pope Francis dead on Monday (21), at 88 years. The funeral is scheduled for Saturday (26) at 10am.
Known for his most progressive attitudes and the unusual habit of calling for faithful from around the world, Francisco conquered supporters beyond the Catholic universe. That’s why, It is expected that not only the almost 1.4 billion Catholics attend but also many non -Catholics interested in providing respect.
Rome, the Italian capital, is already fuller than usual, driven by the Vatican Jubilee, which is expected to attract more than 32 million pilgrims. This, added to the 37.3 million tourists who visited the city last year, means that Access to the ceremony can be complicated .
“We will see a gigantic media coverage, even larger than in the funeral of Bento XVI, since Francis was the acting pope,” he said Mountain Buttoac Vatican Pilgrimage and Tours Specialized in Pilgrimages and Tours, CNN TRAVEL before the death of the pontiff.
Even so, he believes that the number of gifts will be similar to that of Bento XVI and much smaller than Pope John Paul II, whose funeral in 2005 attracted about 4 million people.
Conclave and Funeral
The Conclave, a cardinal meeting that chooses the new Pope, should take place between two and three weeks after Francisco’s death and promises to be another great attraction for visitors. Contrary to what happened to Bento XVI, this time many will have to choose between going to the funeral or conclave, for lack of time.
The funeral will be this Saturday (26), at 10am, in São Pedro Square, in front of the Basilica. No ticket is required, but queues must be long. Francisco’s body was transferred from his official residence, Casa Santa Marta, to the São Pedro Basilica on the morning of Wednesday (23).
After an internal ceremony, the public may say goodbye. The basilica will be open until midnight, from 7am to midnight on Thursday, and from 7am to 7pm on Friday. At 20h, there will be the closing ceremony of the wake.
After the funeral, the coffin will be taken to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, just over three kilometers from St. Peter, where Francis will be buried. The route has not yet been disclosed.
Although a pope’s funeral rites are described in the outer Romani Pontificis Ex-Sequerum, Francisco himself approved updates in the 2024 ritual and even commented, in his autobiography “Hope” (2025), that the initial plans were “exaggerated”, asking for changes to make them simpler.
He also chose to be buried outside the Vatican – something unprecedented in over a hundred years. Saint Maria Maggiore’s Assiduous Governor, Francisco made a last surprise visit to the venue on April 12.
Mourning period and rituals
According to Vatican’s norms, the Pope should be buried between the room and the sixth day after his death. After burial, the Nine -day period of official mourning called noveniales, with daily masses until May 4th.
During this period, cardinals from around the world will arrive in Rome for the conclave. “Each cardinal has a starting church in the city, where they usually celebrate Mass two days before the beginning of the conclave,” explains Buttoac.
The day before the election, a public mass is celebrated in the Basilica of St. Peter, with all the cardinals present. After that, they gather in the Sistine Chapel and are no longer seen until the choice of the new Pope.
The conclave can start from 15 days after the Pope’s death, that is, from May 6th. The exact date will be set by cardinals.
During the Conclave, crowds gather in São Pedro Square, expecting to see the white smoke that announces the election of a new pontiff. On the first day, there is only one vote in the evening. In the following days, four daily votes are held – two in the morning and two in the afternoon. Black smoke indicates that no name has been chosen; The white, that the new Pope was elected.
Voting continues until consensus, with breaks every five days. Schedules are usually publicly publicized, allowing the faithful to be organized to be present – but There are no seats, so you have to be willing to stand for hours .
How to get to Rome
The city is served by two international airports. Fiumicino, about 27 kilometers from the center, is the main, with flights outside Europe. The nearest Ciampino receives low -cost flights from Europe and some from Morocco.
From Fiumicino, the Leonardo Express train departs every 15 minutes to the Termini station in the center. Taxis cost 55 euros (about $ 354). Bus to Termini take 50 minutes and cost 9.90 euros (R $ 63) round trip. From Ciampino, taxis cost 40 euros (R $ 258) and buses take 40 minutes at the same cost.
It is also possible to arrive from other Italian airports and go by train to Rome, as Termini Station is a rail hub: Milan is just over 3 hours and Naples, about 1 hour.
Where to stay
With the city crowded due to the Catholic jubilee, it makes sense to look for accommodations near the Vatican. The Prati neighborhood, north of the Holy See, is one of the best options. Across the river, the historic center offers alternatives such as Campo Marzio, field of ‘Fiori and Piazza Navona, all to a short walk.
Didn’t you find anything? Try the region of Ottaviano station or areas such as Piazza Di Spagna, Piazza della Repubblica and Termini – all well connected to the Vatican by subway.
Despite the pricing, there are still options with reasonable values. In a search on Tuesday after the funeral announcement, it was possible to find two or three stars hotels near Termini for about 500 euros ($ 3,227) for three nights. Already the luxurious Bvlgari Hotel, just minutes from the Vatican, charged 8,310 euros (R $ 53,633) for the same period.
Some hotels require minimum three nights stays like Hotel Lancelot, near the Colosseum. Even so, it maintained affordable prices – 420 euros ($ 2,710) for three nights for an individual room.
What to do
The Vatican City is often one of the most sought after destinations for those visiting Rome, but at times like this, tourism gives way to its original function. The Sistine Chapel, for example, will be the place of the Conclave, while St. Peter’s Basilica will house the Pope’s body in wake.
The museums will also be closed on Saturday (26), and all tours through the Vatican gardens and the Triumphalis road necropolis are suspended, according to a note published on the Vatican museums website.
If you want to take the time to know the surroundings, you will need to leave the Vatican – but Rome has many other places linked to papal history.
Just 10 minutes walk from St. Peter’s Square, is the imposing Sant’Angelo Castel. Initially built as mausoleum for Emperor Adriano, the castle was transformed into papal fortress. It was even there that Pope Clement VII took refuge during the withdrawal of Rome in 1527, managing to escape the city.
If your visit aims to pay tribute to Pope Francis, you may want to spend time in churches. Fortunately, many of the Basilics of Rome are true works of art – that is, you will be doing tourism even while praying.
Highlight for three other “papal basilica”, which are only behind St. Peter in importance to the Catholic Church: St. John of Latron, Santa Maria Maggiore and São Paulo Extramuros. Each has a “holy door” and a papal altar. The latter, at the end of the now trendy via ostiense, houses – according to tradition – the remains of the apostle Paul.
It is worth remembering that, being the Pope’s rest site, the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica will probably have visitation restrictions on the days near the funeral. So far, no official detail has been released.
For those who want to appreciate Michelangelo works there are good alternatives besides the Basilica of St. Peter. The powerful statue of Moses, in the church of San Pietro in Vincoli (in the Monti neighborhood), rivals Pietà, and was conceived for the grave of Pope Julius II – a project that Michelangelo only finished after the death of the pontiff.
Another example is the Church of Santa Maria Degli Angeli, which emerged from the ruins of ancient Roman spa redesigned by Michelangelo. Already the sculpture of the risen Christ can be seen in Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, the church just behind the pantheon.
Out of Rome
Two of the most impressive papal properties are out of the capital. Castel Gandolfo was the Summer Residence of Popes between 1596 and the Papacy of Francisco, who preferred a simpler lifestyle.
Since 2016, the public can visit the Apostolic Palace (or papal palace), as well as the beautiful gardens overlooking the Albano Lake. The place works daily (it’s good consult the site for updated schedules), but will be closed on Saturday, April 26, in mourning.
Already in Viterbo, about an hour and 40 minutes by train north of Rome, is Palazzo Dei Papi, or Palácio dos Popes. Between 1257 and 1281, the Curia moved from Rome there, and a palace at the time was built – today open to visitation.
Even after the return of the papal headquarters to Rome, Viterbo remained a refuge beloved by the pontiffs. One of them, in the fifteenth century, even built a bathroom to enjoy the famous thermal waters of the city.
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Pope Francis’ The Funeral Post: Where to stay and what to avoid in Rome and the Vatican Appeared First on CNN Brazil V&G.
Source: CNN Brasil
Johanna Foster is an expert opinion writer with over 7 years of experience. She has a reputation for delivering insightful and thought-provoking articles on a variety of subjects. Her work can be found on some of the top online news websites, and she is currently lending her voice to the world stock market.
