Signing of condolence book after death of Pope Francis scheduled on April 29

Books of condolence will be available for signing at the Apostolic Nunciature in Manila following the death of Pope Francis, according to the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) News.

“The public is invited to visit and express condolences or share memories of the late pontiff. The books will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on April 29,” it said.

The 88-year-old pope, an Argentinian cardinal born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, passed on early Monday morning of Easter at his residence in the Vatican. This is after his appearance at Saint Peter’s Square. 

The Holy Father suffered from a bout with pneumonia. He was released from the hospital on March 23 after 38 days. He died of a heart attack and stroke, the Vatican said.

Francis, the 266th pope of the Catholic Church, was elected in March 2013 after Pope Benedict XVI resigned. 

Francis did a pastoral trip to the Philippines in 2015, which drew millions of faithful in the predominantly Catholic country, which was then reeling from the effects of one of the deadliest typhoons (named Yolanda) that hit it.

CBCP News said the funeral Mass will take place at 10 a.m. April 26 (4 p.m. in the Philippines) in St. Peter’s Square. It will be presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals.

After the Mass, the pope’s coffin will be taken to St. Peter’s Basilica and then to the Basilica of St. Mary Major for burial. Pope Francis left a will that simplifies his funeral rites, fitting a disciple of Christ, not a powerful person.

He willed that his tomb “be in the ground; simple, without particular ornamentation, bearing only the inscription: Franciscus."

Having entrusted himself to the Virgin Mary, he wrote, “For this reason, I ask that my mortal remains rest—awaiting the day of the Resurrection—in the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major.”