The coffin of Pope Francis will be sealed during a liturgical rite at St Peter’s Basilica on Friday evening, ahead of his funeral the following day.

The ceremony, scheduled for 20:00 local time (GMT+2) on 25 April, will be led by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church. The rite marks the conclusion of the public viewing period, during which tens of thousands of mourners have paid their respects to the late Pope.

According to the Vatican, over 50,000 people filed past the Altar of the Confession in the first 24 hours alone, following the opening of the basilica to the public on Wednesday morning. St Peter’s remained open through the night until 05:30 on Thursday, before briefly closing and reopening at 07:00.

Several senior church figures are expected to attend Friday’s sealing ceremony, including Cardinals Giovanni Battista Re, Pietro Parolin, Roger Mahony, Dominique Mamberti, Mauro Gambetti, Baldassare Reina, and Konrad Krajewski.

The rite will also be attended by senior Vatican officials, including Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, Archbishop Ilson de Jesus Montanari, Monsignor Leonardo Sapienza, members of the Vatican Chapter, the Minor Penitentiaries, the late Pope’s personal secretaries, and others invited by the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, Archbishop Diego Ravelli.

Pope Francis’ funeral Mass will be held in St Peter’s Square at 10:00 on Saturday, 26 April. The service will begin the Novemdiales, a traditional nine-day period of mourning and prayers for the deceased Pope.

Daily Novemdiales Masses will take place at 17:00 in St Peter’s Basilica, with the exception of Divine Mercy Sunday on 27 April, when Mass will be held at 10:30 in the square.