Feverish preparations for the Vatican for the funeral of Pope Francis, which will be held tomorrow, Saturday at 10:00 while at the same time hundreds of faithful continue to flock to St. Peter’s Basilica to pay her respects to Pontiff.

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Over 50 Heads of State and 10 Monarchs They will attend Saturday’s ceremony at St. Peter’s Square, including the US President Donald Trump and the Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski, who are expected to arrive in Rome on Friday.

The Italian authorities and authorities of the Vatican put the area around St. Peter under strict security measures before the funeral by lifting drones, placing snipers on the roofs and fighter aircraft on the alert.

Tens of thousands of people have already queued for hours to pay the last tribute to Franciscus, whose coffin will close at 20:00 local time today at a ceremony where higher cardinals will attend. Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo, who runs the Vatican’s daily affairs until a new Pope is elected, will chair the so -called “coffin ritual”.

At least 130 foreign delegations are expected at his funeral, including Argentinean president, Javier Miley, and Prince William of Britain. Also, a ban on flight zone will be put into effect.

The Pope’s coffin is on an altar on Saint Peter on Wednesday. The popular pilgrimage continues today until 20:00.

Italy’s Civil Protection Service estimates that “several hundred thousand” people will head to Rome.

Pope Francis

After the funeral, Francis’ coffin will be led by a procession to his beloved church, the papal basilica of Rome’s Santa Maria Maggiore and will be buried on the ground. People will be able to visit their tomb since Sunday morning.

After that, all eyes will turn to the process of selecting the Franciscan successor. Cardinals from all over the world returned to Rome for the funeral and the concussion for the election of a new Pontiff. In the absence of the Pope, the cardinals meet daily to agree on the next steps, and another meeting is expected Friday.