250,000 pay respect to Pope Francis as world leaders collect for funeral amid tight Vatican safety

Round 250,000 individuals visited St. Peter’s Basilica over three days to pay their respects to Pope Francis, the Vatican introduced on Friday, as public viewing concluded and world leaders started arriving for his funeral.

Among the many remaining guests was French President Emmanuel Macron, with whole attendance surpassing the 195,000 who got here to honor Pope Benedict XVI after his passing in 2013.

“What a terrific man! He liked everybody, each faith,” AFP quoted 53-year-old Italian Igho Felici after viewing Francis’s coffin.

“I needed to be right here,” he added.

All day lengthy, giant crowds crammed By way of della Conciliazione — the broad avenue resulting in St. Peter’s Basilica — as pilgrims and vacationers blended with Italians benefiting from the April 25 public vacation.

Pope Francis lies in a easy wood coffin, wearing a pink chasuble, white mitre, and black footwear, a rosary entwined round his fingers. The coffin is ready to be closed in a personal ceremony at 8:00 pm.

Safety has been considerably tightened round St. Peter’s, with drone exercise restricted, snipers positioned on rooftops, and fighter jets on alert. Authorities mentioned further checkpoints will probably be in place by Friday evening.

International tributes

The Catholic Church’s first Latin American pope died on Monday aged 88, lower than a month after spending weeks in hospital combating extreme pneumonia.

“It was like saying goodbye to a father” who “liked me and can proceed to like me as and greater than earlier than,” mentioned Filipa Castronovo, 76, an Italian nun.

The pontiff, who had lengthy suffered failing well being, defied medical doctors’ orders by making a public look on Easter Sunday, an important second within the Catholic calendar.

It was his final public look.

Condolences have flooded in from world wide for the Jesuit, an lively reformer who championed these on the fringes of society in his 12 years as head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.

He used his final speech to rail towards those that fire up “contempt… in the direction of the susceptible, the marginalised, and migrants”.

“It’s spectacular to see all these individuals,” French cardinal Francois-Xavier Bustillo mentioned of the queueing crowds, describing Francis as “a person of the individuals.

“It’s an attractive response, an attractive embrace of his ministry, of his preach,” he added.

The Vatican has mentioned greater than 130 international delegations are confirmed for the funeral, together with Argentina’s President Javier Milei and Britain’s Prince William, lots of whom started arriving early on Friday morning.

Trump is anticipated to reach on Friday night for a go to of lower than 24 hours, his first international journey of his second time period.

Accompanied by his spouse Melania, Trump will face many international leaders however no conferences have been introduced.

The presence of Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky was unsure after he mentioned he might miss the funeral as a result of essential “navy conferences” following a lethal Russian strike on Kyiv.

Selfie ban

On Thursday the Vatican banned individuals from taking pictures contained in the basilica, a transfer that eased the queue. It got here after some mourners took selfies with the coffin.

After the funeral, Francis’s coffin will probably be pushed at a strolling tempo for burial at his favorite church, Rome’s papal basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.

The hearse will move down Rome’s Fori Imperiali – the place the town’s historical temples lie – and previous the Colosseum, in response to officers.

Large screens will probably be arrange alongside the route on which to look at the ceremony, in response to Inside Minister Matteo Piantedosi, who estimated the crowds at round 200,000.

Francis was a champion of the underdog, and a gaggle of “poor and needy” will probably be at Santa Maria Maggiore to welcome the coffin, the Vatican mentioned.

Francis will probably be interred within the floor, his easy tomb marked with only one phrase: Franciscus.

Folks will be capable to go to the tomb from Sunday morning, as all eyes flip to the method of selecting Francis’s successor.

Early Might conclave doable

Cardinals from world wide have been returning to Rome for the funeral and the election of a brand new pope.

They’ve been assembly daily to agree the following steps, however have but to announce a date for the conclave.

Luxembourg’s Jean-Claude Hollerich, a Jesuit who was a detailed adviser to Francis, mentioned the conclave would seemingly start on Might 5 or 6.

That is proper after the 9 days of mourning declared by the Holy See, which ends on Might 4.

Solely these underneath the age of 80 – at present some 135 cardinals – are eligible to vote.

Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who was quantity two to Francis, is the favorite, in response to British bookmakers William Hill.

They put him forward of Filipino Luis Antonio Tagle, the Metropolitan Archbishop emeritus of Manila, adopted by Ghana’s Cardinal Peter Turkson, and Matteo Zuppi, the Archbishop of Bologna.

Who’s attending?

World leaders and dignitaries from across the globe are set to assemble in Rome on Saturday for the funeral of Pope Francis, marking one of the vital vital diplomatic assemblies in current reminiscence.

In line with the Vatican, over 50 heads of state, a dozen royals, and prime representatives from main worldwide establishments will attend the ceremony at St. Peter’s Basilica.

Amongst them are US President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, King Felipe VI of Spain, and Prince William representing the UK.

Leaders from throughout the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Center East, and the Asia-Pacific area will probably be current, underscoring Pope Francis’s world affect and the deep respect he commanded as the top of the Catholic Church.

From Argentina’s President Javier Milei to India’s President Droupadi Murmu, and from Kenya’s President William Ruto to King Abdullah II of Jordan, the various presence displays Francis’s legacy as a bridge-builder and voice for the marginalised.

The total listing consists of presidents, prime ministers, royals, and senior spiritual figures, all united in paying tribute to a pope who reshaped the Church’s world position throughout his 12-year papacy.

With inputs from businesses