What to expect at Pope Francis’ funeral from Vatican rituals to iron-clad security and world leaders attending

Pope Francis has continued to break with traditions even in death, requesting several changes to the ceremony and burial that accompany the passing of a pontiff before he passed away.

But other rituals will follow ancient traditions, the Vatican announced, with tens of thousands of mourners to descend on the Vatican and St Peter’s Basilica to say farewell to the Catholic figurehead. More than 50,000 people have already filed through St Peter’s Basilica to pay their final respects to Pope Francis in just the first 12 hours of public viewing.

The Prince of Wales will join more than 130 foreign dignitaries, including US President Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky and Emmanuel Macron at the funeral on Saturday.

Below we look at how the service will unfold.

Sealing of the coffin

Pope Francis’s coffin will be sealed in a ritual on Friday evening, marking the end of the three days of public viewing in St Peter’s Basilica.

This will be conducted by American Cardinal Kevin Farrell, a trusted aide to Pope Francis and the current camerlengo - the official who runs the Holy See between the death or resignation of a pope and the election of the next one.

In one break from tradition, Pope Francis eschewed the previous three coffins made of cypress, lead and oak and will be interred in a simplified zinc coffin, inside a wooden casket.

A bag of coins minted during Francis’s time as pope is placed in the coffin, along with a one-page account of his papacy. That account is read aloud by the master of liturgical ceremonies before being rolled up into a tube that is put in the coffin.

Senior members of the Catholic Church will attend the ceremony, as well as the late Pope’s secretaries, Vatican News reports.

The funeral service

The funeral itself will take place in St Peter’s Square, in front of the Basilica where his body has been lying in state.

The funeral mass will begin at 10am local time (9am BST). His Reverend Eminence Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals, will preside over the ceremony.

Italian authorities expect more than 130 foreign delegates to attend the funeral, including as well as up to 200,000 mourners, creating a logistical and security challenge.

Security around the Vatican has been tightened ahead of Saturday, with Italian authorities adding drones to foot and horse patrols along routes to St Peter’s Square.

The prefect of Rome, Lamberto Giannini, told a news conference on Thursday "I believe that the 'security machine' is ready," but will remain flexible and "ready to reshape and above all transmit a sense of serenity."

Security is not the only consideration. Italian news outlet Corriere della Sera reports a special waste taskforce of 400 staff and 150 vehicles to maintain public cleanliness in the square has already been organised, and pharmacy opening hours have been extended through Rome to boost available medical services.

The funeral procession and burial

Following the funeral, his coffin will be taken to St Peter’s Baslicia, but that will not be Pope Francis’s final resting place.

The largest break from tradition was the Pope’s request to be buried outside the Vatican grounds, the first pope to do so in 120 years.

Instead, he will be interred at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major (Santa Maria Maggiore) in Rome, which is about 4km from St Peter’s Basilica.

Pope Francis will be taken in a procession through Rome that will be taken at a walking pace to allow people to farewell the pope on his final journey.

The Vatican said that because the disadvantaged had a special place in the heart of Pope Francis, a group will wait on the steps of Saint Mary Major to pay their last respects to the pope before he is buried.

While the funeral mass and procession to Santa Maria Maggiore will be broadcast live around the world, that will end at the basilica.

Corriere reports the burial will be a private ceremony, but people will be able to visit his burial place from Sunday morning.

In his will, Francis stipulated a simple burial "in the earth, without particular decoration", marked only with his papal name in Latin: Franciscus.

Italian news outlet Corriere reports the stone used for the epitaph is marble from the north-west Italian region of Liguria.

Nine days of mourning

Alongside the funeral on Saturday, nine days of mourning called the “novendiali” will also begin.

While the funeral mass is open to the public, services on the other eight days are open to different groups including one for employees and the faithful of Vatican City.

The last day of mourning is Sunday, May 4, ending with a service at 5pm.

The process of selecting a new pope in a Conclave can begin

From May 5, the conclave to elect a new pope can begin.

In the conclave, the 133 cardinals of voting age (two cannot make it to Rome for health reasons) will gather inside the exquisitely decorated Sistine Chapel – home of all the Papal Conclaves since 1858, where they will whittle down candidates through successive rounds of voting.

But an exact date for this will be decided after the funeral. French Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco, arriving for the cardinals' meeting on Thursday, said they were not meeting for the conclave yet.

“For the moment I do not believe the cardinals are saying 'who will be the next?'. For the moment we are here completely for Francis."

With additional reporting from Associated Press