Thousands of people gathered at St. Peter’s Square on Saturday morning for the funeral of Pope Francis, with the ceremony commencing at 10:00.
The square in Vatican City opened to the public early in the morning. The service is scheduled to conclude at 11:45, after which the coffin will be transported to Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, as per the Pope’s request to be buried in his favourite church. An estimated 200,000 people are expected to line the 6 km route, passing by landmarks such as Piazza Venezia and the Colosseum.
In a break from tradition, Pope Francis will be the first church leader in over a century to be buried outside the Vatican, in a “simple” grave. The funeral ceremony itself will be more modest than those of his predecessors, as requested by the late Pope.
The Pope’s body has been lying in state at St Peter’s Basilica since Wednesday, attracting approximately 250,000 mourners who paid their respects before the coffin was closed in a private ceremony on Friday.
Numerous world leaders have travelled to Rome to attend the funeral, including Prime Minister Bart De Wever, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, who will represent Belgium.
