President Droupadi Murmu, Karnataka Minister K.J. George, MLC Ivan D’Souza among attendees

Vatican City: Thousands of mourners have gathered at Vatican City and lined the streets of Rome to give a final send-off to Pope Francis today.

Pope Francis died at the age of 88 after suffering a stroke on Easter Monday, just one day after he appeared in the same square to offer a blessing to the faithful at the high point of the Christian calendar. The funeral is expected to conclude at 4.30 pm (IST).

Pope’s funeral mass is being held on the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica, one of the Catholic Church’s most important sites, with more than 50 world leaders and 11 reigning monarchs in attendance.

President of India Droupadi Murmu, Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiran Rijiju, Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying George Kurian, Deputy Speaker of Goa Legislative Assembly Joshua De Souza, Energy Minister of Karnataka K.J. George, MLC Ivan D’Souza, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and US President Donald Trump were among the world leaders attending funeral.

The Vatican has prepared for as many as 2.5 lakh people to flock to St. Peter’s Square and one million more to line the 6-kilometre (3.7-mile) procession route from Vatican City through Rome to the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, in hopes of seeing the Pope’s modest coffin as it travels to his final resting place.

People walked inside the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore (Saint Mary Major) where Pope Francis had decided to be buried in Rome, Italy,  on Dec. 21, 2023.

In the days that followed, about 2.5 lakh mourners came to pay their final respects as his body lay in state inside St. Peter’s Basilica. His coffin was officially sealed on Friday night in a liturgical rite led by the Cardinal Camerlengo Kevin Farrell, the acting head of the church.