RESTRICTION: USERS MUST CREDIT " POLIZIA DI STATO " HANDOUT, MUST NOT OBSCURE LOGO ---EDITORIAL USE ONLY--- VATICAN CITY - APRIL 26, 2025: Thousands of mourners filled the streets around the Vatican and the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore on Saturday, April 26, to participate in the procession for the late Pope Francis. The pontiff’s coffin will be carried in a 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) procession from Vatican City to the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, where he will be laid to rest. 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.