Following the death of Pope Francis in the early hours of Easter Monday, 21 April 2025, at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta building, the pontiff has been lying in state at St Peter’s Basilica ahead of his funeral on Saturday 26 April.

In the three days that his body has been lay in public view, overlooked by members of the Vatican’s Swiss Guard – who have protected the occupying Pope since 1506, when Julius II first hired Swiss mercenaries for his personal protection – some 128,000 people have filed past the open coffin to pay their respects.

The queues are vast and have continued throughout the nights, with just a temporary halt in the early hours (around 4am) before carrying on again from 6am, with people anxious to catch a glimpse before the coffin is closed at 7pm tonight (25th).

Pope wanted little fuss

A papal funeral is traditionally an elaborate affair, but Pope Francis was insistent that his final resting should be much less complex.

Nevertheless, it was always going to be impossible to stop the outpouring of grief and love for the man and consequently a huge security operation is in place, which will accelerate on the day of the funeral that is expected to be attended by over 50 world leaders and 10 or more reigning monarchs from all corners of the globe.

Body to be moved to place requested by pontiff

The Dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re, will lead the service, at the end of which he will deliver the final commendation – a concluding prayer where the Pope will be formally entrusted to God – and his body will then be moved to St Mary Major for the burial.

In his final testament, Pope Francis expressed his wish to be buried in the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome: “I wish my final earthly journey to end precisely in this ancient Marian sanctuary, where I would always stop to pray at the beginning and end of every Apostolic Journey,” he said.

Over 100 years since pope buried outside Vatican

It will see him become the first Pope in more than a century to be buried outside the Vatican. The Basiica of St Mary Major is a Unesco World Heritage site and one of Rome’s four major papal basilicas.

There are in fact seven former Popes buried there, but Francis will be the first to be laid to rest in the building since 1669.

Simple inscription

The tomb in which he will be placed has been made with materials from the Italian region of Liguria. It is a simple tomb bearing only the inscription “Franciscus” and a reproduction of the late Pope’s pectoral cross.

It will be located near the Altar of St Francis, in the niche of the side nave between the Pauline Chapel (Salus Populi Romani Chapel) and the Sforza Chapel.

Speaking on television, the co-Archpriest of the Basilica, Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, announced Pope Francis’ desire to be buried in a tomb made from the “stone of Liguria, the land of his grandparents.”

Dignitaries from all around world to attend

The funeral will attract heads of state from all around the world with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, along with Prince William confirming their attendance; together with the likes of Argentinian President Javier Milei (Pope Francis’ home country); French President Emmanuel Macron; Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy; EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen; Polish President Andrzej Duda and his wife, Agata Kornhauser-Duda; Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva; King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain.

US President Donald Trump has also announced his intention to fly in, despite having clashed several times with Francis in the past.  In total, more than 200,000 are expected in total to attend the outdoor service this weekend.