Bangladesh will observe three days of state mourning for Pope Francis, from Thursday to Saturday.
The Cabinet Division said in a notification issued on Wednesday night that the government had decided to observe state mourning following the death of Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and the sovereign of Vatican City.
During these three days, the national flag will be flown at half-mast on all government, semi-government and autonomous institutions, educational institutions, as well as government and private buildings across the country and at all Bangladeshi missions abroad.
Special prayers will also be offered for the repose of Pope Francis’s soul.
Pope Francis, an energetic reformer who inspired widespread devotion from Catholics but riled traditionalists, passed away on Monday morning at his residence, Casa Santa Marta, in the Vatican. He was 88 years old.
The Argentine pontiff, leader of the Catholic Church since March 2013, had spent 38 days being treated for double pneumonia at Rome's Gemelli hospital before seeming to recover and leaving the facility on March 23.
His funeral will be held on Saturday, as world leaders from US President Donald Trump to Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky said they would attend to honour the Catholic leader.
The funeral, which is expected to draw huge crowds, will take place at 10am, local time, in the square in front of St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.
