Pope Francis Funeral service to be Held on Saturday

Pope Francis’s funeral will take place on Saturday at 10 hours local time.However, he will be the first Pope in more than a century not to be buried in the crypt at the Basilica; – he will instead be laid to rest at the Basilica of St Mary Major in Rome.

It was a wish he expressed in his final testament – writing: “The tomb should be in the ground; simple, without particular ornamentation, bearing only the inscription: Franciscus.”

Pope Francis’s body is lying in state in St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.

Crowds of mourners have been slowly filing past the coffin, which will sit in front of the Papal Altar until his funeral on Saturday.

The basilica – which was supposed to close at midnight – remained open all night so that a large crowd gathered on the square had a chance to pay their respects

The crowds are so large some people have been turned away from paying their respects, Sarah Rainsford reports from St Peter’s Square in the Vatican.

-ZNBC