VATICAN CITY (AP) — From some of the world’s most powerful leaders to those on society’s margins whom Pope Francis always made a point to minister to, hundreds of thousands of people were expected at the Vatican Saturday for the funeral rites for the late pontiff.
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U.S. President Donald Trump and some 60 other heads of state and reigning sovereigns announced their plans to travel to Rome from around the globe. The Vatican said that “a group of the poor and the needy” would be on the steps of St. Mary Major Basilica to pay homage to the first Jesuit and first Latin American pope before his burial in the church.
The Holy See press office added that the poor had a special place in Francis’ heart. He had chosen for his papacy the name of the medieval Italian saint who famously renounced his family’s wealth when he joined the church.
Already, long lines of the faithful have paid their homage to Francis, who died Monday at age 88, over the three days that his body was lying in state in a simple wooden coffin inside St. Peter’s Basilica.
From the beginning of his papacy in 2013, Francis won over many around the world, Catholic or not, with his advocacy for migrants and the environment. His legacy was more mixed on the topics of clergy sexual abuse and LGBTQ+ outreach, which made waves for increasing inclusion but some criticized for not going far enough.
People wait for the funeral procession of Pope Francis in Rome, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Faithful gather to follow the burial ceremony of Pope Francis at St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Faithful gather to follow the burial ceremony of Pope Francis at St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
The coffin of Pope Francis leaves St. Peter’s Square on its way to St.Mary Major where he will be buried, at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Faithful holding white roses wait for the burial ceremony of Pope Francis at St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
The coffin of Pope Francis makes its way to St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
The coffin of Pope Francis makes its way to St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
The coffin of Pope Francis arrives at St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
The coffin of Pope Francis is transported in front of the Colosseum on its way to St. Mary Major where he will be buried, Rome, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
People gather for the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Faithful rest on the ground as they wait for the funeral of Pope Francis to begin, in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Journalists stand on the colonnade outside St Peter’s Basilica ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Clergy take their seats ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
The coffin of Pope Francis is carried into St Peter’s Square for his funeral, at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
The coffin of Pope Francis is carried into St Peter’s Square for his funeral, at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
The coffin of Pope Francis is carried into St. Peter’s Square during his funeral ceremony, at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
The coffin of Pope Francis is carried into St Peter’s Square for his funeral, at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Dean of the College of Cardinals Giovanni Battista Re prays in front of the coffin during the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
The coffin of Pope Francis is laid into St. Peter’s Square during his funeral ceremony, at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Clergy during the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
A person prays during the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
The coffin of Pope Francis during his funeral in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
A view of the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
A view of the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
The coffin of Pope Francis is carried into St Peter’s Square for his funeral, at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Archbishop Diego Giovanni Ravelli, kneeling right, presides over the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Faithful gather during the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
The coffin of Pope Francis is placed on the ground in St Peter’s Square for his funeral, at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Faithful listen to mass during the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
President Donald Trump, center right, with first lady Melania Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, front row left center, and Finland’s President Alexander Stubb, center left, and other dignitaries, attend the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Nuns and faithful listen to mass during the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
President Donald Trump, front row right, and Ukraine’s President Volodymr Zelenskyy, front row left, are seen amongst other dignitaries during the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
People attend the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Clergy attend the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
A nun smiles as she waits ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
People wait for the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Cardinals take their seats for the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
A nun holds a rosary as she waits for the funeral of Pope Francis to begin, in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
A nun looks above the crowds as people gather for the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Faithful, one holding a placard with the Ukrainian flag and reading Francis, pray for us, arrive for the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Nuns and other pilgrims look for their seats in St. Peter’s Square ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis, at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Police officers speak in St. Peter’s Square ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
A faithful wearing a flag from Argentina arrives for the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Nuns and pilgrims make their way to St. Peter’s Square ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Faithful and Swiss Guards are backdropped by St. Peter’s Basilica ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Faithful rest on the ground ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
A man yawns as people arrive in St. Peter’s Square ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
A nun waits in St. Peter’s Square as people arrive ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Priests take their seats ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
A faithful waves a flag with Carlo Acutis, the 15-year-old Italian boy who died in 2006 of leukemia and beatified in 2020, at the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Faithful rest on the ground outside St Peter’s Basilica waiting for the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Faithful arrive ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Faithful stand on a lamppost as they wait for the funeral of Pope Francis to begin in St. Peter’s Square, at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Faithful wait for the start of the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Nadine, from Germany, is waiting for the funeral of Pope Francis to begin, in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Faithful rest on the ground ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Faithful sit in St. Peter’s Square waiting for the funeral of Pope Francis to begin, at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Priests take their seats ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Clergy arrive for the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
A Vatican Swiss Guard in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)