Massive Crowd Storms Vatican For Pope Francis’ Funeral [Photos]

Thousands of people gathered at St. Peter’s Square on Saturday to say goodbye to Pope Francis, who was Catholic Church’s first Latin American pope.

Many mourners camped out overnight to secure their spot for the funeral, which is being attended by world leaders like U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, along with royal families and cardinals from around the world.

KanyiDaily recalls that Pope Francis, originally from Argentina, died on Monday at the age of 88.

During his 12 years as pope, he worked hard to make the Church more welcoming and inclusive.

Around 250,000 people visited St. Peter’s Basilica over three days to pay their respects as he lay in state.

By early Friday morning, large crowds were already gathering to be part of the funeral service.

“He was not just the pope, he was what the definition of being human is,” said Andrea Ugalde, 39, who traveled from Los Angeles to attend the mass.

The funeral is set to start at 10:00 am local time (0800 GMT) and is expected to draw around 200,000 people.

Authorities in Italy and the Vatican have launched a major security operation for the event.

Over 50 world leaders are on the guest list, and safety measures include a no-fly zone, fighter jets on alert, and snipers stationed on rooftops.

“We spent the whole night here in the car with the children,” said Gabriela Lazo, 41, from Peru.

“We are very sorry for what happened to him because we hold a South American pope in our hearts.”

The funeral also marks the beginning of nine days of official mourning at the Vatican for Pope Francis.

Once the mourning period ends, cardinals will meet for a conclave to choose the next pope to lead the Church’s 1.4 billion followers.

See some photos below:

KanyiDaily recalls that President Bola Tinubu sent a five-member team to represent Nigeria at Pope Francis’ funeral.