World Leaders Will be Present when Pope Francis is Laid to Rest Today and 2,50,000 People Will Pay their Final Respects

2,50,000 Mourners Pay Respects as the First Latin American Pope Is Laid to Rest

Several world leaders will attend the modest funeral for Pope Francis, the first Latin American pope to lead the Roman Catholic Church which will take place today at Rome’s Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore four kilometers from St. Peters Basilica. 

The 88-year-old Argentinian pope died Monday following a stroke marking the start of a prearranged period of transition for the 11.4 billion-member Roman Catholic Church that would be filled with pomp ceremony and mourning. Francis spent 38 days in the hospital after being diagnosed with double pneumonia in February. 

Several world leaders will pay their final respects to the pope today including President Droupadi Murmu. George Kurian Minister of State for Minority Affairs and Fisheries Animal Husbandry and Dairy Kiren Rijiju Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs and Joshua De Souza Deputy Speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly are with her. 

Murmu who is on a two-day visit to Vatican City to offer condolences on behalf of the Indian government and people paid respects to the Argentinian pope at the Basilica of St. Peter on Friday. In response to Pope Francis’s death India proclaimed a three-day state of mourning.

Who Will Be at the Funeral of Pope Francis?

Royalty presidents, prime ministers and Pope Franciss supporters will attend the high-profile funeral mass on Saturday at St. honoring his 12-year pontificate in Peters square. The funeral will also be attended by US President Donald Trump who has frequently clashed with Francis.

For the outdoor funeral which begins at 10 am (1:30 pm Indian time) on Saturday his casket will be carried through the main doors. Hundreds of red-hated cardinals will be on the opposite banks of seats while massed ranks of foreign dignitaries will be on one side of the stone colonnade. 

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The prime ministers of Britain and New Zealand as well as numerous European royals will join Trump. Other participants will include the presidents of Argentina France Gabon Germany Italy the Philippines Poland and Ukraine. 54 heads of state and 12 reigning sovereigns are among the 164 delegations that the Vatican said have been confirmed. 

A 91-year-old Italian prelate named Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re will preside over the ceremony which will be followed by about 250000 mourners lining the basilicas main access route. It’s interesting to note that Francis avoided most of the papacy’s perks and glitz and his funeral is only anticipated to last 90 minutes. 

Thousands of people pay their last respects

When Pope Francis’ coffin was sealed on Friday in preparation for his state funeral more than 250000 people paid their final respects to him during three days of public viewing by lay mourners, church leaders and political figures. 

The Vatican decided to extend the basilicas opening hours overnight due to an unexpectedly high attendance. Cardinal Camerlengo Kevin Farrell, the acting head of the church who is responsible for organizing the pope’s funeral, presided over the ceremony to close his coffin.

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Francis has been placed inside a single wooden coffin lined with zinc instead of the customary caskets made of oak lead and cypress following his efforts to streamline papal funeral ceremonies. Additionally he will be the first pope to be laid to rest outside the Vatican in over a century. 

The only thing written on the top of Francis’ tomb is his Latin name Franciscus. Romans can bid him farewell on Saturday as his funeral motorcade takes him through the city one final time.

Around 200,000 people are anticipated to attend the funeral which will be secured by more than 2500 police officers and 1500 soldiers from Italy. Peter’s square. as well as the 300000 people who travel the 4-kilometer stretch across Rome from the Vatican to the pope’s tomb. 

Francis was the first non-European pope in nearly 13 centuries. During his 12-year tenure he fought to change the oman Catholic Church by supporting the underprivileged and disenfranchised and pressing wealthy countries to aid migrants and combat climate change. The conclave to select a new pope won’t begin its work until at least May 5 following nine days of public mourning.