Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala’s Minister for Water Resources, Roshy Augustine, will represent the state at the Pope’s funeral ceremony. The state cabinet has officially assigned this responsibility to the minister. Roshy Augustine is scheduled to leave for the Vatican on Friday.
Faithful across the world are preparing to bid farewell to Pope Francis with prayers. The Pope’s mortal remains are currently placed at St. Peter’s Basilica for public viewing. The funeral will take place on Saturday at the Basilica of St. Mary Major.
In his will, Pope Francis had clearly expressed his wish to be laid to rest at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome. He also specified that his final resting place should be between the Pauline and Borghese Chapels in the basilica. The Pope requested that his tomb not have any elaborate decorations, and that only his name “Francis” be inscribed in Latin.
Pope Francis passed away at 7:35 AM (local Vatican time) on April 21. The Vatican reported that the cause of death was a stroke followed by cardiac arrest. The Pope had fallen into a coma after suffering a stroke, and later succumbed to a heart attack. The death was officially confirmed by Prof. Andrea Arcangeli, Director of the Vatican Directorate of Health, as mentioned in the Vatican’s official statement.
