The world’s Catholics will say goodbye to Pope Francis at his funeral in the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Square on Saturday morning.
Francis died on Easter Monday at the age of 88 after a papacy of 12 years.
Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend the funeral, as well as dozens of world leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Prince William, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and several European royals. Leaders from Italy, France, Germany and Francis’s home nation of Argentina have also confirmed their presence.
Gov. Gen. Mary Simon will represent Canada at the funeral, the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed, given the ongoing federal election campaign set to end Monday.
In total, the Vatican says it expects delegations from at least 130 countries and international organizations.
The funeral will begin Saturday at 4 a.m. eastern time (0800 GMT). Global news will stream the event live online.
Francis had been lying in state in a simple wooden coffin inside St. Peter’s Basilica for days, where the Vatican says more than 250,000 people paid their respects. His coffin was sealed Friday night after a final day of public viewing.
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He will then be buried, according to his will, in a simple underground tomb at St. Mary Major Basilica. The tomb was crafted out of marble from the Italian region of Liguria, the home of Francis’s grandparents, the Vatican said.
Security has been heightened across Rome and in the Vatican to handle the large crowds queuing to see Francis’s body and prepare for the high-profile funeral.
Francis, who suffered from chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed as a young man, was admitted to Gemelli hospital in Rome on Feb. 14 for a respiratory crisis that developed into double pneumonia.
He spent 38 days there, the longest hospitalization of his papacy, but ultimately returned to the Vatican on March 23. He resumed his duties on a limited basis and met with world leaders, including U.S. Vice-President JD Vance, in the days before his death.
A conclave to choose the new pope is not expected to start before May 6, following a period of mourning. The cardinals now gathering in Rome will decide the date after what are often prolonged discussions.
Some 135 cardinals are eligible to participate in the secretive conclave, which can stretch over days before white smoke pouring from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel tells the world that a new pope has been picked.
—with files from The Associated Press and Reuters
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