At least 250,000 people expected to attend Pope Francis’ funeral
At least 250,000 people are expected to attend Pope Francis's funeral on Saturday.
Tens of thousands have already descended on Vatican City over the last two days to pay their respects to the late pontiff, News.Az reports, citing BBC.
At least 100 delegates from around the world are also set to attend the ceremony and security is expected to tight.
Pope Francis died of a stroke followed by a coma and heart failure, Vatican doctor Andrea Arcangeli said in his death certificate. His funeral will be held on Saturday at 10 a.m. (0800GMT) in St. Peter's Basilica.
Francis was born in Buenos Aires on Dec. 17, 1936 to Italian immigrant parents. He studied in Argentina and later in Germany before being ordained as a Jesuit priest in 1969.
Over a decade into his papacy, Pope Francis remained a figure of admiration and controversy.
He sought to reform the Vatican’s bureaucracy, tackle corruption, and address some of the Church’s most pressing challenges.
While he had been hailed for his humility and commitment to social justice, his leadership had also drawn sharp resistance from conservatives within the Church and beyond.
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