Royal families, presidents, prime ministers and hundreds of thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican to pay their last respects to Pope Francis at a mass in honor of his sometimes tumultuous pontificate, Reuters reports.
Among those attending from more than 150 countries will be United States President Donald Trump, who has clashed with Francis on several occasions over their sharply contrasting views on immigration.
Thousands of worshippers rushed to the Vatican in the early hours of the morning. Many camped out to get seats as close as possible to the stage for the ceremony.
"We waited all night," said Spanish pilgrim Maria Fiero. "To be with (Francis) in his last moments is very emotional."
Maria James, a Franciscan nun, also waited all night. "I was up all night," she said. "We want to say goodbye because he (was) a living saint, very humble and simple."
The Argentine pope died on Monday at the age of 88 after suffering a stroke. His death marked the beginning of a carefully planned period of transition for the 1,4 billion-member Roman Catholic Church, marked by ancient rituals, pomp and grief.
Over the past three days, some 250.000 people have passed by his body, which was displayed in an open coffin in front of the altar of the vast 16th-century St. Peter's Basilica.
His coffin will be carried out through the main gate on Saturday for an open-air funeral mass, which began at 10 a.m. A crowd of foreign dignitaries will be stationed on one side of the stone colonnades, facing hundreds of red-capped cardinals on the other.
Trump will be joined by the presidents of Argentina, France, Gabon, Germany, Italy, the Philippines, Poland and Ukraine, as well as the prime ministers of Great Britain and New Zealand, and numerous members of European royal families.
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One of the first high-ranking guests to arrive was former US President Joseph Biden with his wife Jill.
The Vatican says about 250.000 mourners will fill the vast, cobblestoned square and the main access road to the basilica. The ceremony will be presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, a 91-year-old Italian prelate.
"There is a lot of energy, yes, a little bit of despair because we are tired, but in the end, we want to come and say 'thank you', thank Pope Francis for everything he has done for his church," said Eduardo Valencia from Mexico.
The first non-European pope in nearly 13 centuries, Francis has fought to reshape the Roman Catholic Church during his 12-year reign, siding with the poor and marginalized while calling on wealthy nations to help migrants and fight climate change.
"Francis left everyone a wonderful testimony of humanity, holy life and universal fatherhood," says the official summary of his pontificate, written in Latin and placed next to his body.
Traditionalists resisted his efforts to make the Church more transparent, while his appeals for an end to conflict, division, and ruthless capitalism often went unanswered.
Breaking with tradition
The pope avoided much of the pomp and privilege usually associated with the papacy, and he carried this desire for greater simplicity into his funeral, overhauling the lavish, book-length funeral rituals that had previously been used.
While the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005 lasted nearly three hours, Saturday's service is scheduled to last 90 minutes.
Francis also decided to abandon the centuries-old practice of burying popes in three interconnected coffins made of cypress, lead and oak. Instead, he was laid to rest in a simple wooden coffin lined with zinc, which was sealed overnight.
In another break with tradition, he will be the first pope to be buried outside the Vatican in more than a century, choosing the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome, about 5,5 kilometers from St. Peter's Square, as his final resting place.
His tombstone bears only the Latin name "Franciscus." Above the marble slab hangs a replica of the simple iron cross he wore around his neck.
His funeral procession will take him through the city for the last time, giving the Romans a chance to say goodbye to him.
Italy has mounted one of the largest security operations since the funeral of John Paul II. The airspace over the city has been closed and additional security forces have been deployed, including anti-aircraft missiles and patrol boats.
As soon as Francis is buried, attention will turn to choosing his successor.
The secret conclave to elect a new pope is unlikely to begin before May 6, and could be delayed for a few more days, giving the cardinals time to hold regular meetings, assess each other and the state of the Church, which is facing financial problems and ideological divisions.
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