World leaders, dignitaries, and thousands of mourners have begun gathering in St Peter’s Square to pay their final respects to Pope Francis.
Among those attending the requiem mass, which begins at 9am UK time, are US President Donald Trump, former President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, and the Prince of Wales. French President Emmanuel Macron and Irish President Michael D. Higgins are also present.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived earlier this morning with his wife, Olena Zelenska, following uncertainty over their attendance due to airstrikes that disrupted travel plans in Kyiv.
The open-air service is expected to draw a crowd of around 500,000 people.
Pope Francis, who passed away at the age of 88 on Monday—just hours after greeting crowds for Easter—had been lying in state in St Peter’s Basilica for three days. An estimated 250,000 mourners came to pay their respects before his coffin was privately sealed on Friday.
Nuns gathered in the square described the late pontiff as a “saintly man” and a “man of peace” who longed for harmony across the globe. Sister Nilma Navarro of the Philippines said he was “the humblest person I have ever met,” noting that he extended compassion beyond the Catholic Church to embrace other faiths as well.
Miguel Vaca, a pilgrim from Peru who arrived at 7am to secure a spot, reflected on the Pope’s legacy: “He was a very charismatic pope—very human, very kind.”
chai