SHOTLIST VATICAN CITY, VATICAN (APR. 23, 2025) (ANADOLU - ACCESS ALL) 1. PALLBEARERS AND SWISS GUARDS WAITING ON ST. PETER'S SQUARE (TWO SHOTS) 2. VARIOUS OF DEVOTEES WAITING FOR COFFIN OF POPE FRANCIS ON ST. PETER'S SQUARE 3. VARIOUS OF PALLBEARERS AND SWISS GUARDS WALKING PAST DEVOTEES AS THEY CARRY COFFIN OF POPE FRANCIS ACROSS ST. PETER'S SQUARE TOWARD ST. PETER'S BASILICA 4. VARIOUS OF DEVOTEES WAITING FOR COFFIN OF POPE FRANCIS ON ST. PETER'S SQUARE 5. VARIOUS OF DEVOTEES INSIDE OF ST. PETER'S BASILICA/ COFFIN OF POPE FRANCIS ON DISPLAY INSIDE ST PETER'S BASILICA FOR PUBLIC MOURNING VATICAN CITY, VATICAN - APR. 23: Pope Francis, the spiritual leader of the Catholic Church and head of the Vatican City State, died on 21 April. His body has been taken to St. Peter's Basilica, where it will lie in state for a period of public mourning. In a solemn ceremony this morning, the Pope's body was transferred from the Santa Marta Guest House - his residence in the Vatican - to the Basilica. The procession was accompanied by the Swiss Guard, clergy, archbishops and cardinals of the Catholic Church. As the cortege passed through St. Peter's Square, crowds gathered to bid a final farewell to the beloved pontiff. The body, in an open casket, now lies in state inside St Peter's Basilica, where thousands of mourners have lined up to pay their respects. Italian President Sergio Mattarella also paid a private condolence visit yesterday. Pope Francis' funeral is scheduled to take place on Saturday 26 April. Security has been significantly increased across Rome in preparation for the event. According to reports, 2,000 security personnel have been deployed and the city's airspace will be closed to flights during the ceremony. Pope Francis died at age 88 after suffering a prolonged illness, the Vatican announced on Monday. He suffered a “prolonged asthma-like respiratory crisis" associated with thrombocytopenia, according to a previous Vatican statement. Francis was born in Buenos Aires on Dec. 17, 1936, to Italian immigrant parents. He studied in Argentina and later in Germany before being ordained as a Jesuit priest in 1969. Over a decade into his papacy, Pope Francis remained a figure of admiration and controversy. He sought to reform the Vatican’s bureaucracy, tackle corruption, and address some of the Church’s most pressing challenges. While he had been hailed for his humility and commitment to social justice, his leadership had also drawn sharp resistance from conservatives within the Church and beyond.