Pope Francis: Thousands of Catholics to pay tribute as pontiff lies in state

World leaders will gather in Rome on Saturday for the funeral of Pope Francis, the Vatican has confirmed as tributes to the late Pontiff continued worldwide.

The Pope’s body will lie in state in St Peter’s Basilica for the next three days, where thousands of Catholics are expected to pay their respects.

Meanwhile, preparations for Saturday’s funeral, including a big security operation around the Vatican, were getting under way as the world’s media arrived in Rome in advance of the week’s events and the papal conclave to select the next pope, which will follow.

US president Donald Trump, British prime minister Keir Starmer, European commissioner president Ursula von der Leyen and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy were among the many world leaders who said they wou...
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