Pope Francis’ funeral is set to begin, in a ceremony he helped reimagine

By NICOLE WINFIELD and COLLEEN BARRY Associated Press VATICAN CITY AP Pope Francis is being laid to rest Saturday in a ceremony reflecting his priorities as pope and wishes as pastor Presidents and princes will attend his funeral in St Peter s Square but prisoners and settlers will usher him into the basilica where he will be buried As a great number of as people are expected to attend the funeral which Francis choreographed 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 priest and not a powerful man of this world the Vatican noted It was a reflection of Francis -year project to radically change the papacy to emphasize its pastors as servants and to construct a poor church for the poor It was a mission he articulated just days after his electoral process and explained the name he chose as pope in honor of 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 coffin Friday night Nevertheless the powerful will be in attendance Saturday U S President Donald Trump French President Emmanuel Macron the U N chief and European Union leaders are joining Prince William and the Spanish royal family in leading official delegations Argentine President Javier Milei had the pride of place given Francis Argentine nationality even if the two didn t particularly get along and Francis alienated multiple Argentines by never returning home Francis is urgent with contemporary tradition and will buried in the St Mary Major Basilica near Rome s main train station where a simple underground tomb awaits him with just his name Franciscus As various as people are expected to line the mile motorcade path that will bring Francis casket from the Vatican through the center of Rome to the basilica after the funeral Francis the first Latin American and first Jesuit pope died Easter Monday at age after suffering a stroke while recovering at home from pneumonia With his funeral preparations can now begin in earnest to host the centuries-old process of electing a new pope a conclave that will likely begin in the first week of May In the interim the Vatican is being run by a handful of cardinals key among them Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re the -year-old dean of the College of Cardinals who is presiding at the funeral and organizing the secret voting in the Sistine Chapel Crowds waited hours in line to pay their respects to Francis Over three days this week more than people stood for hours in line to pay their final respects while Francis body lay in state in St Peter s Basilica The Vatican kept the doors open through the night to accommodate them A man takes a picture of St Peter s Basilica as faithful gather in St Peter s Square at the Vatican Wednesday April as the body of the late Pope Francis will lie in state inside St Peter s Basilica for three days AP Photo Markus Schreiber A woman sits in St Peter s Square as people wait to pay their respects to the late Pope Francis who will lie in state at St Peter s Basilica for three days at the Vatican Wednesday April AP Photo Andreea Alexandru Cardinals pay their respects to Pope Francis inside St Peter s Basilica at the Vatican Wednesday April where his body will lie in state for three days AP Photo Andrew Medichini Pool A cardinal holds his zucchetto after the procession with the body of Pope Francis who will lie in state for three days arrived in St Peter s Basilica at the Vatican Wednesday April AP Photo Francisco Seco People gather in St Peter s Square as they await the arrival of the body of Pope Francis who will lie in state at St Peter s Basilica for three days at the Vatican Wednesday April AP Photo Markus Schreiber Pontifical Swiss guards stand in formation in St Peter s Square as people await the arrival of the body of Pope Francis who will lie in state at St Peter s Basilica for three days at the Vatican Wednesday April AP Photo Bernat Armangue People queue to pay their respects to the late Pope Francis who will lie in state at St Peter s Basilica for three days at the Vatican Wednesday April Cecilia Fabiano LaPresse via AP Show Caption of A man takes a picture of St Peter s Basilica as faithful gather in St Peter s Square at the Vatican Wednesday April as the body of the late Pope Francis will lie in state inside St Peter s Basilica for three days AP Photo Markus Schreiber Expand He was an excellent humble person who changed various laws and consistently for the better noted a pilgrim from his native Argentina Augustin Angelicola as he waited on line Now it is a sad thing for the whole world that all this has happened We did not expect it it had to happen but not so soon But even with the expanded hours it wasn t enough When the Vatican closed the doors to the general population at p m on Friday mourners were turned away in droves A special relationship with the basilica Even before he became pope Francis had a particular affection for St Mary Major It is home to a Byzantine-style icon of the Madonna the Salus Popoli Romani to which Francis was particularly devoted such that he would go pray before it before and after each of his foreign trips as pope Related Articles Virginia Giuffre who accused Britain s Prince Andrew in Epstein sex trafficking shame has died PHOTOS Pope Francis image is everywhere as the Catholic faithful mourn him with art and thanks How to watch Pope Francis funeral Where to stream and what to expect Pope s burial place reflects his humble essential life Rome s poor will pay him a final tribute Pope Francis funeral Where to stream and what to expect He decided to have his tomb located in a niche next to the chapel housing the icon with a reproduction of his simple silver pectoral cross over the marble tombstone The choice of the basilica is also symbolically substantial given its ties to Francis Jesuit religious order St Ignatius Loyola who founded the Jesuits celebrated his first Mass in the basilica on Christmas Day in The Vatican mentioned special guests would greet his casket on the piazza in front of the basilica reflecting the marginalized groups Francis prioritized pope homeless people and asylum seekers prisoners and transgender people The poor have a privileged place in the heart of God the Vatican quoted Francis as saying in explaining the choice The actual burial will be private presided over by cardinals and a sparse close aides Italy is deploying more than police and soldiers to provide guard which also includes stationing a torpedo ship off the coast and putting squads of fighter jets on standby Italian media published Associated Press religion coverage receives sponsorship through the AP s collaboration with The Conversation US with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc The AP is solely responsible for this content