Familiar words of comfort and faith to farewell Pope Francis

For many Catholic churchgoers, the translation of Francis’s funeral Mass will be familiar and comforting.

Nuns pray for Pope Francis at the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran in Rome. Picture: AFP

“Remember your servant Pope Francis whom you have called from this world to yourself. Grant that he who was united with your Son in a death like his, may also be one with him in his Resurrection.’’ For many Catholic churchgoers, the translation of Francis’s funeral Mass, to be televised on Saturday from 6pm AEST (10am in Rome), will be familiar and comforting.

At its heart, it will be the same as requiem Masses offered for the souls of the faithful departed in parish churches around the world. Those new to such liturgies could find within it a microcosm of Christian belief on death, the forgiveness of sin and eternal life.

The sombre undertone of the bells of St Peter’s Basilica, the music and prayers will set the tone: “O God, immortal shepherd of souls, look on your people’s prayers and grant that your servant Pope Francis, who presided over your church in charity, may, with the flock entrusted to his care, receive from your mercy the reward of a faithful steward.’’

The Gospel, from St John, will be about love, set in the days after Christ’s resurrection when he appeared to his disciples and cooked them breakfast. After the meal he asked Peter, the first pope, “Do you love me?’’ three times, telling him to “feed my lambs’’ and “tend my sheep’’. In a break from longstanding practice, the traditional Roman Canon, normally said on large, formal occasions at the Vatican, will not be used. Instead, Eucharistic Prayer number three, which was also used for Pope Benedict’s funeral in 2023, to the annoyance of many of his close friends, will be included.

Like Masses in St Peter’s Square, colour and pageantry will be striking, with more than 200 cardinals in crimson, purple-clad bishops, priests in white, hundreds of nuns and a multitude of mourners, including Donald and Melania Trump and their security detail. Most noticeable of all, in a sign of continuity and tradition, the Swiss guards, who protected Francis, the 266th pontiff, will be decked out in the distinctive medieval parade uniforms dating back to 1506, when Pope Julius II, the 216th pontiff and greatest art patron of the papal line, recruited crack Swiss soldiers to guard him.

Near the end of the Mass, prayers will be offered in Greek, from the Funeral Office of the Byzantine Liturgy on behalf of the Eastern Churches in Communion with Rome: “Let us pray for the repose of the soul of this departed servant of God Francis that he may be forgiven for his every sin and failing.’’

True to Francis’s will, he will be buried in a different Basilica, St Mary Major, one of his favourite places in Rome. He specified: “The tomb should be in the ground; simple, without particular ornamentation, bearing only the inscription: Franciscus. May the Lord grant a fitting reward to all those who have loved me and who continue to pray for me. The suffering that has marked the final part of my life, I offer to the Lord, for peace in the world and for fraternity among peoples.’’