Last hours to say goodbye to Pope Francis at St. Peter's Basilica. It is planned that the church will close at 7:00 p.m. to proceed with the closing of the coffin. Cardinal Camerlengo, Kevin Farrell, will preside over the closing of the Pope's coffin at 8 p.m. During the ceremony, a white silk veil is placed over Francis' face, holy water is sprinkled over the body, and the bag with coins minted during the pontificate is placed.
Italian authorities estimate that around 200,000 people will attend the funeral for the pontiff on Saturday before the coffin is moved in a funeral procession to the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, where Francis will be buried.
Rome is preparing a large security deployment to host 170 international delegations, including "50 heads of state and 10 reigning monarchs." Among them, special attention will be given to Donald Trump, for whom a 'green zone' has been designated in the Villa Borghese neighborhood. In that area, traffic will be restricted, public demonstrations and the transport of goods classified as dangerous will be prohibited.
The protocol is a delicate diplomatic task to avoid conflictive situations. International delegations will be placed on the right side of the square while on the left side will be the cardinals.
The front rows are reserved for heads of state, with priority given to the Italian and Argentine delegations. The front rows are also dedicated to Catholic royal houses, so the kings of Spain will be placed in those positions.
Next are non-Catholic kings, such as Carl Gustaf of Sweden and Queen Silvia, and Prince William of England. Then comes the complicated diplomatic game of presidents following the French alphabetical order.