Throngs of mourners are gathering in Vatican City and lining the streets of Rome on Saturday to give a final send-off to Pope Francis, who will be remembered as a champion of migrants and the poor, and for his efforts to reshape the Catholic Church. <\/p>\n
His funeral Mass is being held on the steps of St. Peter\u2019s Basilica, one of the Catholic Church\u2019s most important sites, with more than 50 world leaders and 11 reigning monarchs in attendance. They are expected to include US President Donald Trump, Argentine President Javier Milei, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Filipino President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr., head of the largest Catholic nation in Asia. <\/p>\n
The Vatican has prepared for as many as 250,000 people to flock to St. Peter\u2019s Square and one million more to line the 6-kilometer (3.7 mile) procession route from Vatican City through Rome to the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, in hopes of seeing the pope\u2019s modest coffin as it travels to his final resting place. <\/p>\n
Many more of world\u2019s 1.4 billion Catholics will watch the funeral for the first Latin American pope on TV. <\/p>\n
Pope Francis died at the age of 88 after suffering a stroke on Easter Monday, just one day after he appeared in the same square to offer a blessing to the faithful at the high point of the Christian calendar. <\/p>\n
In the days that followed, about 250,000 mourners came to pay their final respects as his body lay in state inside St. Peter\u2019s Basilica. His coffin was officially sealed on Friday night in a liturgical rite led by the Cardinal Camerlengo Kevin Farrell, the acting head of the church. <\/p>\n
As \ufeff<\/strong>daylight gleams off the massive travertine columns of St. Peter\u2019s Square on Saturday morning, the funeral Mass will open with the chant, sung in Latin: \u201cEternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.\u201d <\/p>\n A Bible reading will be given in English, and a \u201cPrayer of the Faithful\u201d will be offered up in multiple other languages, including French, Arabic, Portuguese, Polish, German and for the first time, Mandarin, fitting for a pope who sought to reach out to followers in all parts of the globe. <\/p>\n In keeping with tradition, the Mass will include a homily and communion and end with a final commendation and farewell. Francis approved the order of the day for Saturday back in June 2024. <\/p>\n But other elements of the day will be pared back, as Francis had sought to \u201csimplify and adapt\u201d proceedings, so that the papal funeral is \u201cthat of a pastor and disciple of Christ, and not of a powerful person in this world,\u201d according to Vatican officials. <\/p>\n Francis, who chose his name in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, with his commitment to poverty, peace and nature, also wanted to reflect his own dedication to the homeless and disadvantaged in the day\u2019s events. <\/p>\n He believed \u201cthe poor have a privileged place in the heart of God,\u201d a Holy See statement said. \u201cFor this reason, a group of poor and needy people will be present on the steps leading to the papal Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore to pay their last respects to Pope Francis before the burial of his coffin.\u201d <\/p>\n They will be the last members of the public to see his wooden coffin, after it\u2019s driven slowly through the streets of Rome \u2013 past tourist highlights like the Piazza Venezia and the ancient Colosseum \u2013 in his final procession. <\/p>\n Francis will become the first pope in more than three centuries to be buried at Santa Maria Maggiore, with the interment taking place away from the public eye. <\/p>\n He was a pope of many firsts \u2013 the first Latin American Pontiff, the first of the Jesuit order and the first modern-day pope born outside of Europe. <\/p>\n Elected in 2013 as an outsider candidate from Argentina, Francis went on to usher in progressive reforms, including the promotion of women\u2019s roles in the church. <\/p>\n But his 12-year leadership was not without criticism. He took some important steps to address the Catholic Church\u2019s clerical sexual abuse scandals, but campaigners and survivors say there is still much more to do. <\/p>\n Divisions within the Church over same-sex relationships also persisted throughout his papacy. When asked about his position on sexual orientation, the pope famously said, \u201cWho am I to judge?\u201d but also reaffirmed the Church\u2019s position that homosexuality is considered sinful. <\/p>\n And his record was disparaged by some of the more conservative cardinals and members of the Church. <\/p>\n Francis issued a rebuke of the Trump administration\u2019s immigration policy earlier this year, and criticized Vice President JD Vance\u2019s use of theology to defend its approach. Vance was one of the last people to meet with the pope, in a brief encounter on Easter Sunday. <\/p>\n The next pope will be chosen by cardinals from around the world in conclave, a closed-door process that may see a battle play out between those who want to continue Pope Francis\u2019 progressive path and those who want to reverse it. <\/p>\n \u201cHe made some good changes in the Church. I think the Church is now more open,\u201d said Laura Grund, from Leipzig, Germany, who was among the last people to see the late pope lying in state. \u201cHe opened many doors.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cHe was a very simple man, who loved other people,\u201d said Sister Luisa, a nun from Munich. \u201cWe feel very blessed, but also deep sorrow.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Throngs of mourners are gathering in Vatican City and lining the streets of Rome on Saturday to give a final send-off to Pope Francis, who will be remembered as a champion of migrants and the poor, and for his efforts to reshape the Catholic Church. 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