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• Pope Francis’ funeral will take place today at St Peter’s Square in Vatican City. 
• Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will attend, alongside world leaders such as Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump. 
• Pope Francis will be buried at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, following the service. 

A funeral steeped in centuries-old tradition is set to take place today as the head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, is farewelled. 

Between 200,000 and 500,000 people are predicted to descend on St Peter’s Square in Vatican City to pay their respects to the pontiff, who died on Easter Monday (local time), aged 88. 

At least 130 of those mourners will be heads of state and delegations from around the world, Vatican officials confirmed on Thursday. 

The funeral is set to begin at 10am local time (8pm NZT), following plans laid out by the Funeral Rites of the Roman Pontiff – a 20-page document dubbed The Shepherd of the Lord’s Whole Flock. 

The service – expected to be conducted entirely in Latin – will last about two and a half hours and will be led by the dean of the College of Cardinals, 91-year-old Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re. 

A sermon will pay tribute to Pope Francis’ life. 

The Swiss Guards, who provide personal security for the Pope, also have a role in the funeral service; kneeling for the consecration of the host and the blessing of the bread and wine. 

The guards were reportedly put under a strict curfew in February when Pope Francis became severely ill with pneumonia. It was reported they were undergoing protocol drills in preparation for the Pope’s death. 

PM Chris Luxon, Prince William, US President Donald Trump among mourners 

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon met with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, London, hours after the death of Pope Francis. Photo / Supplied 

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will represent New Zealand at the Pope’s funeral today, joining a host of world leaders and dignitaries paying their respects in person. 

Luxon travelled from Turkey yesterday, where he gave a speech at the Gallipoli Peninsula as part of the annual Anzac Day commemorations. 

United States President Donald Trump and the First Lady, Melania Trump, will also attend the papal funeral, as will Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 

Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, British PM Sir Keir Starmer, Argentina’s President Javier Milei and France’s President, Emmanuel Macron, are all on the confirmed guest list. 

Other world leaders and dignitaries confirmed to attend the funeral today include Ireland’s President Michael Higgins, India’s President Droupadi Murmu, Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos, President of the Central African Republic Faustin-Archange Touadera, Slovakian President Peter Pellegrini, Israel’s ambassador to the Holy See Yaron Sideman and Croatian President Zoran Milanovic. 

The Prince of Wales, Prince William, will be there in place of his father, King Charles. 

Traditionally, British sovereigns do not attend funerals. When Pope John Paul II died in April 2005, the then-Prince Charles attended the funeral to represent his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. 

Other royal families represented include Queen Mary of Denmark, Belgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, and Monaco’s Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene. 

Final resting place breaks with tradition 

Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, where Pope Francis will be laid to rest. Photo / Audrey Young 

A funeral bell will toll after the funeral service, as the body of the Pope is taken through what is known as the door of death, to the left of the altar at St Peter’s. 

In keeping with the pontiff’s wishes, Pope Francis will be laid to rest at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore – outside of the Vatican, where many Popes before him are buried. 

He will be the first Pope to be buried at Saint Mary Major since the 17th century, when Pope Clement IX was laid to rest there.