Pope Francis funeral to be held at St Peter’s Basilica on Saturday

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis´s funeral will be held on Saturday, the Vatican announced, as world leaders from US President Donald Trump to Ukraine´s Volodymyr Zelensky said they would attend to honour the Catholic leader.

The Argentine pontiff, 88, died on Monday from a stroke, less than a month after returning home from five weeks in hospital battling double pneumonia. His funeral, which is expected to draw huge crowds, will take place at 10:00 am (0800 GMT) on Saturday in the square in front of St Peter´s Basilica at the Vatican.

Francis´s coffin -- which he previously ordered should be of wood and zinc -- will then be taken inside the church and from there to the Rome basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore for burial.

The first so-called “general congregation” of cardinals took place on Tuesday morning, kicking off a centuries-old process that culminates in the election of a new pontiff within three weeks. The Vatican published the first images of the pontiff in his open coffin, wearing his red papal vestments, a mitre on his head and had a rosary between his fingers.

The pope´s body was photographed during a service on Monday evening in the chapel of Casa Santa Marta, the Vatican residence where he lived during his 12-year papacy, and where he died.

It will be transferred to St Peter´s Basilica on Wednesday at 9:00 am (0700 GMT), to lie in state. Sister Nathalie Becquart, undersecretary to the synod of bishops, told journalists she was “very moved” after paying her respects. She said she had felt “both sadness and gratitude for everything he gave”.

The Holy See´s official media Vatican News, released details about Francis´s last hours. The pontiff started feeling ill Monday at around 5.30am (3.30am GMT), less than 24 hours after he greeted a crowd of faithful in St Peter´s Square on Easter Sunday.

Before falling into a coma, he waved to his personal nurse Massimiliano Strappetti from his bed, in what Vatican News described as “a gesture of farewell”. On Sunday, he had thanked Strappetti for encouraging him to take what would become his last tour of St Peter´s Square in his popemobile.

“Thank you for bringing me back to the Square,” Francis was quoted as saying. He was pronounced dead at 7:35 am on Monday. “He did not suffer. It all happened quickly,” Vatican News said, citing people who were with the pontiff in his final moments.

Tributes have poured in from around the globe for Francis, a liberal reformer who took over following the resignation of German theologian Benedict XVI in 2013. His home country, Argentina, prepared for a week of national mourning while India began three days of state mourning on Tuesday -- a rare honour for a foreign religious leader in the world´s most populous nation.

Heads of state and royalty are expected for his funeral, with Trump and France´s Emmanuel Macron the first to announce they would attend even before a date was confirmed. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, Germany´s outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Ukrainian President Zelensky will also attend. Cardinals of all ages are invited to the general congregations,a second of which will be held on Wednesday.