Tens of thousands of people have gathered in St Peter’s Square to attend Pope Francis’ funeral, the Catholic Church’s first Latin American head.
Pope Francis died on Easter Monday, at the age of 88.
The ceremony will begin at 10:00 local time (09:00 BST) in front of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.
Ukraine’s President Zelensky arrived in Rome on Saturday morning for the funeral, his spokesman confirmed.
The U.S President, Donald Trump is also in Rome – it’s his first foreign trip in his second term as President.
Many heads of state and royals have confirmed their attendance for today’s funeral, including Prince William, French President Emmanuel Macron, Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, and Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
There are also many political figures who are expected to be in St Peter’s Square today.
This is an important day for the church but it’s also a poignant personal moment for those gathering there.
According to reports, “the makeup of the crowd reflects some of the causes Pope Francis cared about: the homeless, migrants and refugees.
Arrangements have even been made for some prisoners to attend, as Pope Francis often visited jails, sometimes washing the feet of inmates as a mark of humility.
The funeral Mass for Pope Francis will begin at 10:00 AM in St. Peter’s Square and will be presided over by Cardinal Re.
The wooden and zinc coffin of the deceased Pontiff, sealed on Friday evening, will be placed on the forecourt of the Basilica, just in front of the altar.
It will face a vast crowd, expected to number several hundred thousand people, hailing from all geographical, social, political, and cultural backgrounds to pay their final respects.
This diverse crowd represents the Church of Francis, the one that welcomes “everyone, everyone, everyone,” as he tirelessly repeated.
It will conclude with the transfer of the coffin to Saint Mary Major, where the burial will take place.
Meanwhile authorities have heightened security measures ahead of the funeral, including by using surveillance drones and deploying snipers around St Peter’s Square.
About 2,000 local police officers are on duty, joined by thousands more officers from the national security forces.
Security measures will include patrols on the Tiber River.
