LAST RITES

AFTER twelve long years serving as the leader of 1,4 billion Catholics around the world, Pope Francis’ final journey has now begun.

As the world mourns the loss of the beloved pontiff, carefully orchestrated plans are underway in the Vatican for his “humble” funeral.

The pontiff’s funeral will take place on Saturday morning in St Peter’s Square in Vatican City in Rome, with the service scheduled to begin at 10am local time.

The service will be led by the dean of the College of Cardinals and is expected to draw top world leaders who will join thousands of mourners from across the globe for the historic event.

To mark the beginning of the last rites, Francis’ coffin will be kept at The Chapel of Casa Santa Marta – his Vatican residence — for a moment of prayer.

A funeral procession, expected to be two miles long, will then start heading towards St. Peter’s Basilica, where the last rites will take place.

The procession will pass through the Vatican’s Santa Marta and the First Roman Martyrs Square.

From the Arch of the Bells, it will exit into St. Peter’s Square and enter St. Peter’s Basilica through the central door.

The Pope will be kept in the open space of the basilica for thousands of followers to see and pray.

A funeral mass will then be co-celebrated by cardinals and ceremonially dressed senior clerics and other members of the clergy.

Following the funeral, the Pope’s body will be moved to the burial site outside the Vatican.

A humble Francis decreed in his will that he would be interred in a simple underground tomb at Santa Maria Maggiore, unlike the previous Popes who had been buried in the crypts beneath St Peter’s Basilica. Francis will be the first pope in more than a hundred years to be buried outside of the Vatican walls.

He also said he had arranged for an unnamed benefactor to cover the costs of the burial.

Even the age-old tradition of preparing three coffins of cypress, lead and oak has been ditched, as desired by Francis during the years before his death.

He will be buried in a simple underground tomb prepared “without particular ornamentation,” marked only as “Franciscus,” according to his wishes.

The Pope’s death has triggered centuries-old Vatican rituals, including the symbolic breaking of his “Fisherman’s Ring” and lead seal, marking the start of the Church’s transition to a new leader.

Saturday will mark the first of nine official days of mourning, a traditional period known as novemdiales.

Once this mourning phase concludes, the conclave process to elect the next Pope will formally begin.

Tens of thousands of catholics and followers of Pope Francis are expected to attend the events.

Apart from the top world leaders, a slew of celebrities could go to Rome to attend the historic event.

This could include stars like Leonardo DiCaprio and football legend Lionel Messi.