Papal Funeral plans

Late this morning, Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls briefed reporters on the following:

"'First and Second General Congregations of the Cardinals.

"'The first two General Congregations of Cardinals in the period of sede vacante were held this morning in the Bologna Room of the Vatican Apostolic Palace according to the norms of the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici gregis .

"'Sixty-five cardinals took part in the First Congregation which began at 10 a.m. They swore an oath according to paragraph 12 of Universi Dominici gregis.

"'In the second General Congregation, the 65 cardinals present made the most urgent decisions, including the manner of transferring the body of the deceased pontiff to the Vatican Basilica, and the date of the funeral Mass for John Paul II.

"'(In addition to the Cardinals), present at this morning's General Congregations were Archbishops Leonardo Sandri, "substitute" at the Secretariat of State; Francesco Monterisi, secretary of the College of Cardinals; and Piero Marini, master of papal liturgical ceremonies, with several ceremonial assistants.

"'Transfer of the body of John Paul II.

"'At 5 p.m. today, Monday April 4 (Rome time), the body of John Paul II will be moved from the Clementine Hall to the Vatican Basilica.

"After a moment of prayer presided over by Cardinal Camerlengo Eduardo Martinez Somalo, the transfer of the body will begin.

"'The procession will go along the Scala Nobile, the First Loggia, the Sala Ducale, the Sala Regia, the Scala Regia and then, coming through the Bronze Door, it will cross St Peter's Square and enter the basilica by the center doors.

"'In the Vatican Basilica, the Cardinal Camerlengo will preside at a Liturgy of the Word.

"'The visits of the faithful can begin at around 8 p.m (Rome time).

"'For today it has been decided that the Vatican Basilica will remain open all night. It will close only from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. for maintenance of the basilica.

"'Funeral Mass for John Paul II.

"'The funeral Mass for John Paul II will be celebrated on Friday, April 8 at 10 a.m. in St. Peter's Square.

"'The funeral liturgy will be celebrated by the cardinals and the patriarchs of the Oriental Churches. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, dean of the College of Cardinals, will preside.

"'At the end of the liturgy, the casket of the Roman Pontiff will be brought into the Vatican Basilica and then into the Vatican Grottos for burial.'

"Dr. Navarro-Valls noted that the body of John Paul II will rest in the same place where Blessed Pope John XXIII was entombed. The remains of that Pope, who died in 1963, were moved from the grottos to (the main floor of) the Vatican Basilica on June 3, 2001, nine months after his beatification on September 3, 2000.

"Next General Congregations.

"The next General Congregations of Cardinals will take place tomorrow morning in the New Synod Hall starting at 10 a.m."

(Source: Vatican Information Service)

UPDATE: I will post more information as it becomes available in the days ahead. Click here to get these posts (together with all of my posts for the month of April).