South Korea's Culture Minister to lead condolence delegation to Pope Francis' funeral

Acting President Han Duck-soo has appointed Yoo to represent the government at the Vatican, the official said, without providing the details of his departure date and the size of the delegation, Yonhap news agency reported.

A similar delegation was sent in 2005 when then Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan led an official visit to attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II.

According to the Vatican, Pope Francis' funeral will take place on Saturday at St. Peter's Square.

The coffin with the deceased pontiff will be carried from the Chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae to the Papal Basilica of Saint Peter, in accordance with the provisions of the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis.

"After the moment of prayer, presided over by His Reverend Eminence Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, the translation will begin. The procession will cross Piazza Santa Marta and Piazza dei Protomartiri Romani; from the Arco delle Campane, it will enter Saint Peter's Square and enter the Vatican Basilica via the central door. At the Altar of the Confessio, the Cardinal Camerlengo will preside over the Liturgy of the Word, at the end of which the visits to the body of the Roman Pontiff will begin," the government of the Catholic Church, which operates from Vatican City State, said.

The funeral Mass of the Pontiff will be held, in accordance with the provisions of the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis, on the parvis of Saint Peter's Basilica at 10 a.m. on Saturday, the first day of the Novendiali.

"The funeral liturgy will be presided over by His Reverend Eminence Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, who will be concelebrated by Patriarchs, Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, and priests from across the globe," the Holy See's Press Office detailed.

"At the end of the Eucharistic Celebration, the Ultimo commendatio and Valedictio will take place. The coffin of the Roman Pontiff will be taken to Saint Peter's Basilica, and from there to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major for burial," it added.

Pope Francis, who passed away on Easter Monday at the age of 88 at his residence in the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta, had requested that his funeral rites be simplified and "focused on expressing the faith of the Church in the Risen Body of Christ", Vatican News, the news portal of the Holy See, stated on Monday.

"The renewed rite," revealed Archbishop Diego Ravelli, Master of Apostolic Ceremonies, "seeks to emphasise even more that the funeral of the Roman Pontiff is that of a pastor and disciple of Christ and not of a powerful person of this world".

The late Pope Francis had approved an updated edition of the liturgical book for papal funeral rites, which will guide the funeral Mass, which has yet to be announced, in April 2024, the portal revealed.

The second edition of the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis introduces several new elements, including how the Pope's mortal remains are to be handled after death.

"The ascertainment of death takes place in the chapel, rather than in the room where he died, and his body is immediately placed inside the coffin," the report mentioned.

It was at 9:45 a.m. on Monday that Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber, announced the death of Pope Francis from the Casa Santa Marta.

"Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow, I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis. At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church. He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially in favour of the poorest and most marginalised. With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God," he said.

The leader of the Roman Catholic Church had been suffering from respiratory ailments and pneumonia.