Tens of thousands of mourners are flooding into St. Peter’s Square for the funeral of Pope Francis, the champion of the poor and the Catholic Church’s first Latin American leader.
Some people waited overnight to be first in the queue for the ceremony, attended by world leaders including US President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky — who may meet on the sidelines.
The Argentine pontiff, who died on Monday aged 88, sought to steer the centuries-old Church into a more inclusive direction during his 12-year papacy.
Some 250,000 people paid their respects before his coffin during its three days of lying in state at St Peter’s Basilica, and huge numbers gathered from dawn on Friday to attend his final send-off.
The ceremony is due to begin at 11 a.m. (Israel time) and is expected to draw some 200,000 people.
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