The Rwandan Catholic Church has organised a mass to mourn and bid farewell to Pope Francis who died on Easter Monday aged 88.

The service will be held at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 25, at Regina Pacis Catholic Church in Kigali, Father Vedaste Kayisabe, the Secretary General of the Episcopal Conference of Rwanda, told The New Times.

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Meanwhile, Cardinal Antoine Kambanda, the Archbishop of Kigali, arrived in Vatican City on Tuesday to participate in various ceremonies preceding the funeral of Pope Francis and the election of a new Pontiff.

Kambanda is Rwanda’s first-ever cardinal. For the first time, he will be part of a conclave made up of cardinals under the age of 80, who will elect the next Pope.

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Father Kayisabe said that the requiem mass to bid farewell to Pope Francis had initially been planned for Saturday, April 26, at 10:00 a.m., coinciding with the Pope’s funeral Mass in Rome.

However, the planned mass was rescheduled to Friday, as Saturday is reserved for Umuganda community work.

"Cardinal Kambanda will attend the funeral mass and remain in Vatican to participate in the election of the new Pope,” Father Kayisabe said.

"The mass at Regina Pacis in Rwanda will be attended by two bishops. It will be led by the Bishop of Cyangugu Diocese, Edouard Sinayobye, who also serves as a councillor in the Episcopal Conference of Rwanda. He will be joined by Bishop Jean-Bosco Ntagungira of Butare Diocese.”

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The mass is expected to draw a significant number of Christians, priests, nuns, monks, and other faithful from different parts of the country.

"Pope Francis had a strong and meaningful relationship with Rwanda, and it is important for us to mourn and bid him farewell,” Father Kayisabe added.

"At the conclusion of the Mass, we will hear testimonies from Christians, clergy, and government officials who may wish to share their reflections.”

Pope Francis’ funeral mass will take place in St Peter’s Square, Rome, on Saturday, April 26, at 10:00 a.m., marking the beginning of the Novemdiales, an ancient tradition of nine days of mourning and daily masses for the repose of a deceased Pope’s soul.

The Novemdiales will be celebrated each day at 5:00 p.m. (GMT+2) in St Peter’s Basilica, except for Divine Mercy Sunday on April 27, when the mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. in St Peter’s Square.

Pope Francis’ coffin will be sealed during a liturgical rite in St Peter’s Basilica on Friday, April 25, at 8:00 p.m.

More than 50,000 people have queued in the last 24 hours to pay their last respects to Pope Francis at St Peter's Basilica, the Vatican said.

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Catholics across Rwanda are reflecting on the legacy of Pope Francis.

Pope Francis, who served as head of the Roman Catholic Church, shared a unique relationship with Rwanda as he passed away having strengthened ties between the Church and the country.

Most notably in 2017, he humbly sought forgiveness for the Church’s role in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.