On Saturday, an unprecedented assembly of global dignitaries, including heads of state, royals, and a diverse representation of society, will converge on St Peter’s Square for the funeral of Pope Francis, who passed away at the age of 88.
The groundbreaking liberal pontiff, who led the Catholic Church for 12 years, died on Monday in his home at Casa Santa Marta following complications from a stroke and heart failure, exacerbated by a five-week battle with double pneumonia.
Over the past three days, hundreds of thousands of mourners have paid their respects as Francis lay in state inside St Peter’s Basilica, culminating in a private ceremony on Friday night where his coffin was sealed.
The funeral mass is set to commence at 10 am local time, presided over by Italian cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the college of cardinals.
With an impressive turnout of at least 130 foreign delegations and an estimated 200,000 pilgrims expected to attend, the Vatican and Rome have mobilized extensive security measures involving thousands of police and military personnel, as well as the Vatican’s Swiss Guards.
Security forces, including soldiers armed with drone defense technology and rooftop snipers, are on high alert, alongside fighter jets positioned overhead.
Leading the delegation from Argentina, Pope Francis’s homeland, is President Javier Milei, who will take a prominent seat at the front row of the mass, accompanied by Italian officials such as President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Prominent figures attending include former US Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden, alongside other world leaders such as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, as well as Prince William.
The order of service, an 87-page document available on the Vatican’s website, is printed in English, Italian, and Latin, reflecting the international scope of the event.
In a break from tradition, Pope Francis had previously simplified papal funeral rites and explicitly specified the groups he wished to include in his memorial service.
Among the invitees are representatives from Mediterranea Saving Humans and Refugees in Libya, two NGOs with which Francis had developed close relationships, dedicated to aiding refugees and vulnerable individuals.
Luca Casarini, founder of Mediterranea Saving Humans, expressed how Francis was a true ambassador of compassion and humanitarianism. “He spoke to everyone. There are those who listened to him, like us, and those who did the opposite of what he told them,” he remarked.
Among those attending from the Refugees in Libya group is Mahamat Daoud, a survivor of a detention camp in Libya who undertook a perilous journey to Italy this year. Daoud, a former detainee who had met Francis in late 2023, expressed his deep sorrow over the pontiff’s passing, emphasizing that Francis was a steadfast ally of refugees and marginalized communities.
“He helped us not just when we arrived in Italy but also while we were enduring hardships in Libya,” Daoud recollected, expressing hope that the funeral would foster unity among diverse groups.
The funeral service will culminate in a procession to Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica, approximately 2.5 miles away in Rome’s Esquilino neighborhood, where Francis will receive a final farewell.
As his simple wooden coffin makes its way through central Rome, it will pass significant landmarks, including the historic Colosseum, significant in its own right.
In accordance with his wishes, a group of 40 individuals, including prisoners and homeless persons, will bid Francis farewell upon the coffin’s arrival at the basilica.
“From the beginning of his papacy, Francis focused on those marginalized by society,” commented Robert Mickens, a Rome-based columnist for the Union of Catholic Asian News.
In a departure from custom, Pope Francis will not be interred with significant ceremony within the grottos beneath St Peter’s Basilica but rather in a modest niche previously used for storing candlesticks.
Francis had desired that his final resting place remain undistinguished; a tomb inscribed solely with his papal name in Latin: Franciscus.
The burial ceremony is set to be an intimate affair, attended solely by family members, as a Vatican official disclosed, marking a conclusion to the life of a pontiff known for his groundbreaking, compassionate approach and commitment to the marginalized.
image source from：https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/26/royals-and-refugees-to-come-together-in-rome-for-funeral-of-pope-francis
