Catholic faithful to pay their final respects ahead of the pope\u2019s funeral
\n Vatican
\nPope Francis\u2019 body will be moved to St Peter\u2019s Basilica on Wednesday to allow Catholic faithful to pay their final respects ahead of a funeral expected to bring United States President Donald Trump and dozens of other world leaders to Rome.
\nFrancis, a groundbreaking reformer, died aged 88 on Monday from a stroke and cardiac arrest, ending an often turbulent 12-year reign in which he repeatedly clashed with traditionalists and championed the poor and marginalised.
\nHis body, lying in an open casket, was set to be taken from the chapel of the Vatican residence where he lived to St Peter\u2019s, entering through the central door, in a grand procession starting at 9am, with cardinals and Latin chants.
\nAfter a religious service, the faithful and the general public will be allowed to visit the late pontiff until 7pm on Friday, with a funeral scheduled for the next morning.
\nThe service will be outdoors, in St Peter\u2019s Square, and due to be led by the dean of the college of cardinals, 91-year-old Giovanni Battista Re. Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend.
\nTrump, who clashed repeatedly with the pope on immigration, will be accompanied by first lady Melania. Leaders from Italy, France, Germany, Britain, Ukraine, European Union institutions and Francis\u2019 home nation of Argentina also confirmed their presence.
\nConclave not for another two weeks
\nFrancis has asked to be buried in St Mary Major, a Roman basilica he was particularly attached to, rather than St Peter\u2019s like many of his predecessors, with a simple inscription of his name in Latin, Franciscus.
\nOn Tuesday, the Vatican released images of the pope dressed in his vestments, holding a rosary, with Swiss Guards standing beside his casket. Dignitaries, including Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Italian Jewish leaders, came to visit.
\nHis death, which came as a relative surprise as he had appeared in public on the previous day but still looked frail after double pneumonia and a five-week hospital stay that had ended on March 23, has set in motion ancient rituals.
\nAbout 60 cardinals gathered on Tuesday to decide funeral plans, with more meetings planned in the coming days on other urgent business. The conclave, which will choose the new pope, is not expected to start before May 6.
\nThere is no clear frontrunner to succeed Francis, although British bookmakers have singled out Luis Antonio Tagle, a reformer from the Philippines, and Pietro Parolin, a compromise choice from Italy, as early favourites.
\nIn the meantime, in the period known as the \u201csede vacante\u201d (vacant seat) for the global Catholic Church, a cardinal known as the camerlengo (chamberlain), Irish-American Kevin Farrell, is in charge of ordinary affairs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Catholic faithful to pay their final respects ahead of the pope\u2019s funeral Vatican Pope Francis\u2019 body will be moved to St Peter\u2019s Basilica on Wednesday to allow Catholic faithful to pay their final respects ahead of a funeral expected to bring United States President Donald Trump and dozens of other world leaders to Rome. Francis, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":474359,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-474333","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n