Trump and Zelenskyy among dignitaries converging on Rome for funeral of Pope Francis
Heads of state and royalty will start converging on Rome on Friday for the funeral of Pope Francis in the Vatican맥스카지노s St. Peter맥스카지노s Square, but the group of poor people who will meet his casket in a small crosstown basilica are more in keeping with Francis맥스카지노 humble persona and disdain for pomp.
President Donald Trump and Argentine President Javier Milei are among the leaders arriving Friday, the last day the Argentine pope will lie in state in St. Peter맥스카지노s Basilica before his coffin is sealed in the evening in preparation for his funeral Saturday.
The Vatican said 130 delegations are confirmed, including 50 heads of state and 10 reigning sovereigns.
Paying respects
Tens of thousands of mourners have waited hours in line to bid farewell to Francis, who died Monday after suffering a stroke at the age of 88. A higher-than-expected turnout prompted the Vatican to extend the basilica's opening hours overnight.
By Thursday evening, more than 90,000 mourners had filed past Francis' open coffin placed in front of the basilica맥스카지노s main altar 맥스카지노 at times praying, at times holding smart phones aloft for a photo of the late pontiff laid out in red robes, a bishop's pointed miter and a rosary entwined in his hands.
St. Peter's Basilica remained open until around 3 a.m. Friday and closed for just a few hours before reopening for mourners who started arriving before dawn. The public viewing is scheduled to end at 7 p.m., after which Francis' simple wooden coffin will be sealed.
Emanuela Bisco took the day off work to pay her last respects to Francis, as she had 20 years ago for St. John Paul II.
Francis 맥스카지노was the pope of the forgotten, who was close to the simplest people, the homeless who were not pushed away,맥스카지노맥스카지노 Bisco said. 맥스카지노I hope that the next pope will be at his level, and continue his struggles, his openness, everything that he did.맥스카지노
Cardinals meet
The work of the conclave to choose a new pope won맥스카지노t start until at least May 5, after nine days of public mourning.
Cardinals have also been arriving in Rome, with 113 meeting Thursday morning to discuss church business. They will meet again Friday before taking a break for the weekend.
맥스카지노We are getting ready, but we still have not entered into the more intense phase. We are in the organizational phase,'' Italian Cardinal Fernando Filoni said Thursday.
Papal burial
In keeping with Francis맥스카지노 embrace of the marginalized, the Vatican said a group of poor and needy people will meet the pope맥스카지노s coffin to pay homage to him when it arrives at St. Mary Major Basilica for burial on Saturday.
The tomb is being prepared behind a wooden barrier within the basilica that he chose to be near an icon of the Madonna that he revered and often prayed before.
Photos released by the Vatican on Friday show the marble tombstone flat against the pavement, with the simple engraving in Latin that he requested in his last testament: 맥스카지노Franciscus맥스카지노
Delegations
Trump, who is traveling with First Lady Melania Trump, is scheduled to arrive Friday, after Francis맥스카지노 coffin has been sealed.
Among the other foreign dignitaries confirmed for the papal funeral are:
맥스카지노 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and first lady Olena Zelenska
맥스카지노 French President Emmanuel Macron
맥스카지노 British Prime Minister Keir Starmer
맥스카지노 Prince William
맥스카지노 Spain맥스카지노s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia
맥스카지노 Hungarian President Viktor Orbán
맥스카지노 Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva