Funeral of Pope Francis to take place today

VATICAN: The funeral of Pope Francis (88), the supreme head of the global Catholic Church, will take place today. The service is scheduled for 1:30 PM IST (10:00 AM local time) in front of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. The College of Cardinals’ Dean, Giovanni Battista Re, will lead the service. As per the Pope’s wishes, his final resting place will not be St. Peter’s Basilica but the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.

In accordance with the Pope's instructions, the ceremony will be kept simple. Yesterday, President of India Droupadi Murmu visited St. Peter’s Basilica to pay her final respects to the Pope. She was accompanied by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister of State George Kurian, and Goa Legislative Assembly Deputy Speaker Joshua D’Souza. World leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron, are also expected to attend the ceremony.