Lithuania will observe a state of mourning on Saturday when Pope Francis’ funeral takes place in Rome, the cabinet decided on Wednesday.
“In view of the fact that Pope Francis passed away on April 21, 2025, this draft resolution proposes that a day of mourning be declared in Lithuania on April 26 to honour the memory of the pontiff,” Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovič said.
According to him, Lithuanian flags with black ribbons will have to be raised near, above or on state and municipal buildings, company offices and residential buildings, from 07:00 to 22:00 on Saturday, April 26.
Pope Francis, 88, died on Easter Monday from a stroke, less than a month after returning home from five weeks in hospital battling double pneumonia.
The Argentine pontiff stirred both enthusiasm and controversy within the Church due to reforms aimed at opening the doors of the centuries-old institution to modern believers.
His funeral, which is expected to draw huge crowds, will take place on Saturday in the plaza in front of St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.
Francis’ coffin will then be taken inside the church and from there to Rome’s Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore for burial.
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