Shillong: The Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians in Laitumkhrah will hold a solemn Requiem Mass on Saturday, April 26, to coincide with the funeral of His Holiness Pope Francis, who passed away on Monday.
The Mass will begin at 10:00 AM and will be observed simultaneously across all parishes under the Archdiocese of Shillong.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Bedarius Shylla from the Church’s Media Commission informed that Requiem Masses will also be held at the Cathedral Church at 5:30 PM on April 23, 24, and 25, 2025. Other parishes within the Archdiocese will conduct similar services at times arranged by their respective clergy.
Faithful who wish to witness the funeral rites of the late pontiff will be able to follow the proceedings online. The Funeral Mass from the Vatican will begin at 1:30 PM IST on Saturday.
According to an official announcement by Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, the Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, Pope Francis passed away on April 21 at 7:35 AM Vatican time (11:05 AM IST) at his residence in Domus Sanctae Marthae, Vatican City. The cause of death was confirmed as a stroke, followed by coma and irreversible cardiovascular collapse.
The death of the pontiff was formally certified in a ceremony conducted by Cardinal Farrell. As per Vatican tradition, the late pope’s body will be transferred on Wednesday from Domus Sanctae Marthae to the Papal Basilica of Saint Peter following a moment of prayer. A Liturgy of the Word, presided over by the Cardinal Camerlengo, will be held at the Altar of the Confessio, after which the public will be allowed to pay their respects.
On Saturday morning, at the parvis of Saint Peter’s Basilica, the funeral Mass will mark the beginning of the “Novendiali” — a nine-day mourning period following a pope’s death. The liturgy will be presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals.
As stated in his last will and testament, made public on April 21, Pope Francis will be laid to rest at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome — making him the first pope in over a century to be buried outside the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Basilica.
