Vatican City (AP) – Heads of state and fees are starting to converge in Rome on Friday for the funeral of Pope Francis In the Place Saint-Pierre du Vatican, but the group of poor people who will meet his coffin in a small basilica of Crosstown is more in line with the humble personality and the disdain of Francis for Pomp.
US President Donald Trump And Argentinian president Javier Milei is one of the leaders arriving on Friday, the last day Argentinian pope will remain in the state in Saint-Pierre Basilica Before his coffin was sealed in the evening in preparation for his funeral on Saturday.
THE Vatican According to 130 delegations are confirmed, including 50 heads of state and 10 reigning sovereigns.
Pay tribute
Tens of thousands of mourning people waited for hours online to say goodbye to Francis, who Died Monday After suffering A blow at the age of 88. A higher than expected participation rate prompted the Vatican to extend the opening hours of the basilica overnight.
Thursday evening, more than 90,000 people in mourning had deposited the open coffin of Francis placed in front of the main altar of the basilica – sometimes praying, sometimes holding intelligent phones at altitude for a photo of the late pontiff presented in the red dresses, a pointed wreath of a bishop and an insane rosary in his hands.
The Saint-Pierre basilica remained open until about 3 am on Friday and closed just a few hours before the reopening for mourning people who started to arrive before dawn. Visualization of the public should end at 7 p.m., after which Francis Simple Wood Circin will be sealed.
Emanuela Bisco took the day off to pay tribute to Francis, as she had 20 years ago for St. John Paul II.
Francis “was the Pope of Forgotten, who was close to the simplest people, the homeless who were not postponed,” said Bisco. “I hope the next pope will be at his level, and continues his difficulties, his opening, everything he has done.”
The cardinals meet
The work of Conclave to choose a new pope will not start before at least May 5, after nine days of public mourning.
The cardinals also arrived in Rome, with 113 meeting Thursday morning to discuss the affairs of the church. They will meet again Friday before taking a break for the weekend.
“We are preparing, but we have still not concluded the most intense phase. We are in the organizational phase,” Italian Cardinal Fernando Filoni said on Thursday.
Papal burial
In accordance with the embrace of Francis de la Marginalized, the Vatican said that a group of poor and needy people will meet the Pope’s coffin to pay tribute to him at the St. Mary Major Basilica for burial on Saturday.
The tomb is prepared behind a wooden barrier in the basilica which he chose to be near an icon of the Madonna which he venerated and often prayed before.
Friday, the photos published by the Vatican show the Tombstone flat marble against the sidewalk, with the simple engraving in Latin which he asked for during his last will: “Franciscus”
Delegations
Trump, who travels with First Lady Melania Trump, is expected to arrive on Friday after the Francis coffin was sealed.
Among other experienced foreign dignitaries for papal funerals are:
– The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the first lady Olena Zelenska
– French President Emmanuel Macron
– British Prime Minister Keir Starmer
– Prince William
– The King of Spain Felipe VI and Queen Letizia
– Hungarian President Viktor Orbán
– Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
