First Official Photos of Pope Francis in Casket Released by Vatican

The Vatican released the first images of Pope Francis in his casket on Tuesday, offering the world a solemn glimpse of the late pontiff ahead of his funeral, which is scheduled for Saturday at 10 a.m. in St. Peter’s Square.

The photos show Francis resting in a simple wooden casket, clad in traditional red papal vestments and a bishop’s miter. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, was pictured praying over the body in the chapel of Casa Santa Marta, where the pope had lived during his papacy.

The Vatican confirmed that Cardinal Kevin Farrell, as Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, placed the body in the casket Monday night. Farrell now functions as the temporary administrator of the Vatican until a new pope is chosen.

The faithful will have their opportunity to pay final respects beginning Wednesday, when Francis’s casket is brought into St. Peter’s Basilica for public veneration.

• President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have confirmed attendance at the funeral, alongside dozens of world leaders.

• The funeral Mass will be celebrated by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals.

• Per Church law, the conclave to elect the next pope will begin 15 to 20 days after Francis’s death.

Francis passed away Monday morning at age 88, following a cerebral stroke and resulting “irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse,” according to the Vatican. He had spent recent months battling respiratory illness, requiring oxygen support and even an emergency blood transfusion in his final days.

In a move breaking with long-standing tradition, Francis requested to be buried at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, rather than St. Peter’s, where most modern popes are entombed.

Francis, the first pope from the Americas and the first Jesuit to hold the papacy, leaves behind a deeply divided Church. While his supporters praised his emphasis on inclusion and dialogue, many traditional Catholics viewed his papacy as a departure from the timeless doctrines and clarity that defined previous generations.

Now, with the conclave on the horizon, 135 cardinals under the age of 80 will soon gather to elect the 267th pope in what is widely expected to be one of the most consequential papal elections in decades.

Among the likely candidates is Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, head of the Italian bishops’ conference, who said, “He gave himself to the end.” Yet many in the Church now look toward a potential pivot a return to orthodoxy, tradition, and strength after an era marked by theological ambiguity and institutional controversy.

Pope Francis's passing closes a unique, and at times polarizing, chapter in Church history. What comes next will shape not just the future of Catholicism, but its role on the global stage for generations to come.

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