By Jemimah Wellington, JKNewsMedia Reporter
THOUSANDS ARE expected to flood St Peter’s Square on Saturday for the funeral of Pope Francis, the Argentine pontiff whose global reach and reformist zeal defined a generation of Catholic leadership.
The Vatican confirmed the funeral Mass will begin at 10:00 a.m. (0800 GMT) in front of the basilica, where world leaders including former US President Donald Trump, France’s Emmanuel Macron, and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky are due to attend.
The pope’s coffin, made of wood and zinc at his instruction, will be taken into the basilica before burial at Rome’s Santa Maria Maggiore — making Francis the first pope in over a century to be laid to rest outside the Vatican.
The pontiff passed on Easter Monday, aged 88, following a lengthy battle with double pneumonia. Despite being discharged from hospital just weeks earlier, he continued his public engagements — appearing visibly fatigued during his final Easter celebration.
The Vatican had released the official death certificate, citing a stroke leading to coma and “irreversible” heart failure as the cause of death.
Francis’s body was transferred Monday night to the chapel of Casa Santa Marta, his modest Vatican residence during his 12-year papacy.
Sealed shortly after, the apartment marked the closing of an era for a pope who wore simple robes, shunned opulence, and insisted on humility.
The Vatican published photos showing the late pontiff lying in his open coffin, clad in red vestments, with a mitre on his head and rosary in hand.
On Wednesday morning, the body will be moved to lie in state at St Peter’s Basilica for public homage, ahead of Saturday’s final rites.
Tributes poured in from around the world, from Argentina’s week-long national mourning to India’s rare three-day state tribute for a foreign religious leader. Lionel Messi, speaking from Buenos Aires, honoured Francis for “making the world a better place”.
At sunset on Monday, mourners gathered in St Peter’s Square, some clutching candles or flowers. “He tried to get people to understand it doesn’t matter your sexual orientation or race in the eyes of God,” said Mateo Rey, a 22-year-old Mexican student.
Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Francis became the first pope from the Americas and the first Jesuit to lead the Church.
Elected in 2013 following Pope Benedict XVI’s unprecedented resignation, he took his name from Saint Francis of Assisi, a nod to humility and service.
His 12-year papacy was marked by tireless advocacy for migrants, the environment, and the marginalised.
While remaining within the Church’s doctrinal bounds, Francis pushed for reform — lifting pontifical secrecy on abuse cases, calling for transparency in Vatican finances, and expanding roles for women and laypeople.
He was not without opposition. His openness on social issues divided conservative factions within the Church. Yet for many, his was a papacy that brought the Church closer to the faithful.
Preparing for the Next Chapter
The College of Cardinals convened its first “general congregation” on Tuesday to set the date for the funeral and prepare for the conclave that will elect Francis’s successor.
According to Church protocol, the conclave must begin no sooner than 15 and no later than 20 days after the pope’s death.
Only cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote.
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, will preside over the funeral Mass, alongside patriarchs, archbishops, bishops and priests from across the Catholic world.
In his 2022 will, Francis requested a simple burial and declared that an anonymous benefactor would cover his funeral expenses.
His tomb, unembellished save for the Latin inscription “Franciscus”, will lie in Santa Maria Maggiore — a final gesture from a pope who sought to serve, not to be served.
