Thousands of tourists and pilgrims flock to St Peter’s Square to honour Pope Francis
The Vatican announced that his funeral will be held this Saturday at the square in front of St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.
A portrait of Pope Francis sits at the Catholic Church of St. Catherine in Saint Petersburg on 21 April 2025. Pope Francis, leader of the Catholic Church since March 2013, died on Monday aged 88. Picture: AFP
JOHANNESBURG - Thousands of tourists and pilgrims are flocking to St Peter’s Square in the Vatican City to pay tribute to the late Pope Francis just hours before another rosary prayer in honour of the pontiff.
The Argentine pontiff died from a stroke on Sunday, less than a month after returning home from five weeks in hospital battling double pneumonia.
The Vatican City announced that his funeral will be held this Saturday at the square in front of St Peter's Basilica.
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On Wednesday morning, Pope Francis's body will be moved from Casa Santa Martato to St Peter's Basilica, where he will lie in state.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell will lead a prayer before the body is moved.
A procession will then pass through the Piazza Santa Marta and Piazza dei Protomartiri Romani before entering St Peter's Basilica
The Pope's coffin is set to remain there for the public to pay their respects until his funeral on Saturday.
World leaders, including US President Donald Trump, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, will attend to honour the Catholic leader.
However, Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose foreign travel is limited by an International Criminal Court arrest warrant, will not attend the funeral.