Unlike his predecessors, the body of the late Pope Francis will not be placed in an elevated bier in St Peter's Basilica for public viewing but in a simple wood coffin with the lid open, according to Vatican News. 

Pope Francis death from a stroke sets off global tributes, mourning

Rev. Fr. Earl A.P. Valdez, student priest in the Pontificio Collegio Filipino, said the camerlengo, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, certified the death of His Holiness at 7:35 a.m. on 21/04/2025 in his apartment at the Domus Sanctae Marthae, Vatican City.

Cause of death was cerebral stroke, coma and irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse.

Cardinal Farrell then removed the papal ring - known as the fisherman's ring - from the pope’s finger and destroyed it, as the next pope will receive his own ring.

The cardinal then locked and sealed the pope's residence as a formal declaration that his seat is empty. 

"Kapag binasag iyon (ring) ibig sabihin, wala ng hahawak ng kapangyarihan pansamantala. Ang susunod na Santo Papa ay gagawan ng sarili niyang singsing ni San Pedro o ng fisherman’s ring bilang tanda ng kanyang otoridad bilang obispo ng Roma at mahal na Santo Papa ng simbahang Katolika," Valdez said. 

Public viewing at St. Peter’s Basilica will start Wednesday morning and usually lasts 3-4 days of the nine-day mourning period.

"Kung last time kay Pope Benedict ay naka catafalque, kumbaga open space then elevated area. Ang kay Pope Francis, dahil ayon sa kanyang kalooban na kasama rin sa reporma na ginawa niya sa ritwal ng libing ng isang Santo Papa, simpleng kabaong lang siya ilalagay," Valdez said. 

In his final wishes, the Pope also asked to be buried in a simple, unadorned tomb inside his beloved Roman basilica, Santa Maria Maggiore.

"I have always entrusted my life and priestly and episcopal ministry to the Mother of Our Lord, Mary Most Holy. Therefore, I ask that my mortal remains rest, awaiting the day of resurrection, in the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major.

"I wish that my final earthly journey conclude precisely in this ancient Marian shrine, where I go to pray at the beginning and end of every Apostolic Journey to faithfully entrust my intentions to the Immaculate Mother and to give thanks for her gentle and maternal care."

Francis specified the exact spot in the side nave of the basilica for his tomb, even including an attached diagram for clarity, and said the burial expenses had been arranged in advance.

"The tomb must be in the earth; simple, without particular decoration and with the only inscription: Franciscus." With Agence France-Presse