Thousands visit Vatican to pay respects to Pope Francis before funeral

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Pope Francis’ funeral will take place on Saturday in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican.
Francis died on Monday from a stroke and cardiac arrest, following a recent battle with double pneumonia.
Thousands of pilgrims have arrived in Rome ahead of the funeral to mourn and pay their respects.

Pope Francis’ funeral will be held on Saturday in St. Peter’s Square, setting the stage for a solemn ceremony that will draw leaders from around the world and an outpouring from the faithful.

In the days leading up to the service, thousands of Catholic pilgrims have descended on Rome, filling cobbled streets, clutching rosaries, and lighting candles in and around the Vatican City as they pay their final respects to the late pontiff.

Francis, 88, died on Monday after suffering a stroke and cardiac arrest, ending an often turbulent reign in which he repeatedly clashed with traditionalists and championed the poor and marginalised.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella pays respect to late Pope Francis whose body lies in a simple wooden coffin

Italian President Sergio Mattarella and his daughter Laura Mattarella pay their respects to the late Pope Francis. Source: AAP / VATICAN MEDIA HANDOUT / EPA

The pontiff spent five weeks in hospital earlier this year suffering from double pneumonia and had appeared to be slowly recovering, but the Vatican on Tuesday recounted his last moments, saying death came quickly and he had not suffered.

The Vatican released photographs of Francis dressed in his vestments and holding a rosary, lying in an open coffin placed in the chapel of the Santa Marta residence, where he lived during his 12-year papacy.

Swiss Guards stood on either side of the casket as dignitaries, including Italian President Sergio Mattarella, paid homage to the first Latin American pope.

His body will be taken into the adjacent St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday morning at 9:00 am local time, in a procession that will be led by cardinals. He will lie in state there until Friday evening at 7:00 pm.

His funeral service will be held at 10:00 am (6pm AEST) the following day in St. Peter’s Square, in front of the 16th-century basilica. It will be presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the 91-year-old dean of the College of Cardinals.

US President Donald Trump, who clashed repeatedly with the pope about immigration, said he and his wife would attend along with heads of state from France, Brazil, Germany, Poland, Ukraine and Argentina, Francis’ home nation.

In a break from tradition, Francis confirmed in his final testament, released on Monday, that he wished to be buried in Rome’s Basilica of Saint Mary Major and not St. Peter’s, where many of his predecessors were laid to rest.

Pope Francis inherited a Church in disarray and worked hard to overhaul the Vatican’s central administration, root out corruption, and confront the scourge of child abuse within the ranks of the priesthood – with mixed results.

During his papacy, Francis often clashed with conservatives, nostalgic for a traditional past, who saw the pope as overly liberal and too accommodating to minority groups, such as the LGBTIQ+ community.

Francis appointed nearly 80 per cent of the cardinal electors who will choose the next pope, increasing, but not guaranteeing, the possibility that his successor will continue his progressive policies.

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