SHOTLIST: ROME, ITALY (APR. 26, 2025) (ANADOLU - ACCESS ALL) 1. EXTERIOR OF SANTA MARIA MAGGIORE 2. VARIOUS OF CROWD GATHERED ALONG PROCESSION ROUTE AHEAD OF FUNERAL CEREMONY FOR LATE POPE FRANCISROME, ITALY - APR. 26: Many people gathered around the Santa Maria Maggiore and along the procession route ahead of the funeral ceremony for late Pope Francis in Rome on Saturday, Apr. 26. The late pontiff’s coffin will travel in a 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) procession from Vatican City to the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, where he will be interred. His funeral Mass, to be held on the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica — one of Catholicism’s holiest sites — is expected to draw more than 50 world leaders and 11 reigning monarchs. Among the dignitaries attending are U.S. President Donald Trump, Argentine President Javier Milei, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., representing Asia’s largest Catholic nation. Security measures have been heightened across Rome as vast crowds gather to pay their final respects. The Vatican has deployed extensive logistical support to manage the influx of mourners, with large screens set up for those unable to enter the square. Pope Francis was admitted to a Rome hospital in February with bronchitis, which later developed into bilateral pneumonia. He was discharged after 38 days to continue his recovery at his Vatican residence. He died Monday at the age of 88.