As thousands of mourners pour into St. Peter’s Basilica to say their final goodbyes to Pope Francis, a memorial Mass expected to draw a large crowd will take place Wednesday morning at Chicago’s Holy Name Cathedral.
The Mass, led by Chicago Archbishop Cardinal Blase Cupich, will begin at 10 a.m. at 735 N. State Ave. Cupich, a strong supporter of Francis, will then travel to Rome where he will play a major role in determining who the next pope will be.
“I have received word that our Holy Father, Pope Francis, has died,” Cupich said in a statement following the news of Francis’ death. “In this moment of profound loss for me personally and for the Church, I take this moment to express our gratitude to our Heavenly Father for the gift of his papacy and to pray for the repose of his soul. The finest memorial we can offer is to re-form our hearts as Pope Francis asked – to see our brothers and sisters, to listen to them and to offer our prayers and actions that all may experience the fullness of God’s promise. As we mourn his passing, I ask that God comfort us, but also strengthen us to remain steadfast in carrying on the work of restoring our Church’s place in the world as a source of hope and an advocate for those in need.”
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The Mass comes ahead of Francis’ funeral, which will be held at 10 a.m. local time Saturday (3 a.m. CT), the Vatican said. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re will preside over the funeral liturgy.
Tuesday, Francis was lying in state in the Santa Marta Domus in a private viewing for Vatican residents and the papal household. His body was transferred to St. Peter’s Basilica Wednesday morning, where he will lie in state for public viewing for three days. His coffin will be closed at 8 p.m. local time Friday, or 1 p.m. CT.
While estimates vary for how many people are expected to visit, over 2 million mourners lined up to view Pope John Paul II’s body in 2005, according to the Italian Civil Protection agency.
As of Wednesday, long lines of worshippers — tens of thousands — had already formed, and Vatican authorities temporarily stopped members of the public from entering St. Peter’s Square over fears about overcrowding.
In approximately two weeks, there will be a conclave, when cardinal electors go into the Sistine Chapel and spend days voting on who will be the next pope.
Francis, 88, died Monday morning, hours after his final public appearance on Easter Sunday. Francis’ death certificate, released by the Vatican, showed the revered pope died from a stroke that prompted irreversible heart failure.
Francis showed the first signs of illness at around 5:30 a.m. on Easter Monday and fell into a coma an hour later, “after making a gesture of farewell with his hand” to his personal health care assistant, Massimiliano Strappetti, according to Vatican News.