Thousands of people are gathered in Rome to pay their final respects to Pope Francis.
WATCH THE FUNERAL OF POPE FRANCIS ON SCRIPPS NEWS
The pope's funeral is being held at St. Peter’s Square, the same place where he often celebrated Mass and spoke to the faithful.
Those in attendance include approximately 250 cardinals, along with Catholic bishops, priests, and nuns. The Vatican said 12 reigning monarchs and 55 heads of state would also attend the service, including President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Francis had choreographed the funeral himself when he revised and simplified the Vatican’s rites and rituals last year. His aim was to emphasize the pope’s role as a mere pastor and not “a powerful man of this world.”
It was a reflection of Francis’ 12-year project to radically reform the papacy, to stress priests as servants and to construct “a poor church for the poor.” He articulated the mission just days after his 2013 election and it explained the name he chose as pope, honoring St. Francis of Assisi “who had the heart of the poor of the world,” according to the official decree of the pope's life that was placed in his simple wooden coffin before it was sealed Friday night.
Following the funeral, Francis’ body will be taken to Saint Mary Major, the largest church in Rome dedicated to the Virgin Mary, where he will be buried beneath a simple marble headstone.
Pope Francis died on Monday after suffering a stroke. He had spent nearly six weeks in the hospital in February and March battling pneumonia and was released on March 23. Although his public schedule remained limited, he made a brief appearance to greet the faithful on Easter Sunday in St. Peter’s Square.
As mourners paid tribute to the pope around the world this week, church officials said about 250,000 people passed through St. Peter’s Basilica to view the late pontiff and offer prayers since Wednesday.
The Vatican said nine days of mourning and Masses will be held to honor the pope and offer prayers, followed by a conclave to elect his successor.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
