The farewell ceremony for Pope Francis has concluded in the Vatican: the coffin with the body has been closed.

The farewell ceremony for Pope Francis took place in the Vatican, resulting in the closing of his coffin. This was reported by 'Glavkom'.

According to ABC News, on Friday at 20:00 local Time, the coffin-closing ritual was held in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. During the ceremony, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the temporary head of the Vatican, read an official act that was then placed in the coffin before it was closed.

It was previously reported that at the funeral of Pope Francis on April 26, the arrival of 130 foreign delegations is expected, including 50 presidents and 10 monarchs. U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Argentine leader Javier Milei, Prince of Wales William, King of Spain Felipe VI, French President Emmanuel Macron, and other world leaders will be present.

To ensure security before the guests' arrival, strengthened security measures have been implemented in Rome and the Vatican – a no-fly zone has been established over the Italian capital, and sniper units have been positioned on the rooftops along Via della Conciliazione leading to St. Peter's Square.

Pope Francis died on Monday morning at the age of 88. The cause of death was a stroke against the backdrop of chronic illnesses. His passing was preceded by bilateral pneumonia detected in February. During his time in the hospital, Francis experienced four respiratory crises. According to doctors, his life was in danger twice. On March 23, Pope Francis was discharged from the hospital.

According to his will, Pope Francis will be buried in the Roman Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, rather than in the Vatican, where his predecessors are buried. In his will, he requested that his tomb be simple and without special decorations.