Pope Francis' funeral scheduled for April 26th

Pope Francis' funeral will take place on Saturday, April 26, the Vatican said, and world leaders from US President Donald Trump to Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky have said they will attend to honour the Catholic leader's memory.
The 88-year-old Argentine pontiff died on April 21 of a stroke, less than a month after returning home from a five-week stay in hospital battling double pneumonia.
His funeral, which is expected to draw huge crowds, will take place at 10 a.m. local time (11 a.m. Bulgarian time) on April 26 in the square in front of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.
Francis' coffin - which he had previously ordered to be made of wood and zinc - will then be brought into the church and from there will be carried to Rome's Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore for burial.
The date was set by the first so-called "general congregation" of cardinals this morning, which marked the start of a century-long process culminating in the election of a new pontiff within three weeks.
Earlier, the Vatican released the first pictures of the pontiff in his open coffin before his transfer to St Peter's Basilica on April 23 at 9:00 am (10:00 am BST), where he will be laid to rest.
The Pope's body was photographed during a service last night in the chapel of Casa Santa Marta, the Vatican residence where he lived during his 12-year papacy and where he died.
Francis was dressed in his red papal vestments, with a mitre on his head and a rosary between his fingers.
Tributes poured in from around the world for Francis, a liberal reformer who took office after the resignation of German theologian Benedict XVI in 2013.
His home country, Argentina, is preparing for a week of national mourning, and India began three days of state mourning today - a rare honour for a foreign religious leader in the world's most populous country.
Heads of state and royalty are expected for his funeral, with Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron the first to announce they would attend even before the date was confirmed.
A source in the Ukrainian presidency told AFP that Zelensky would also come to Rome.
Cardinals of all ages have been invited to the congresses, although only those under the age of 80 are eligible to vote for a new pope in the conclave.
The conclave must begin no less than 15 and no more than 20 days after the pope's death.
The pope's body was moved to the Santa Marta chapel last night and his apartment was officially sealed, the Vatican said.
Pope Francis, who wore plain vestments and shunned the luxury of his predecessors, had chosen a simple tomb, unadorned except for his Latin name, Franciscus, according to his will, published on April 21.
By choosing to be buried in Rome's Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, he will become the first pope in more than 100 years to rest outside the Vatican.
His death certificate, released by the Vatican, says Francis died of a stroke that caused a coma and "irreversible" heart failure.
He had been discharged from Rome's Gemelli Hospital on March 23 and had been ordered to spend at least two months on bed rest.
But Pope Francis, who has never taken time off and enjoyed being among his flock, has made numerous public appearances in recent days.
On April 20, during the Easter holidays, he looked exhausted but nevertheless greeted the crowds with his papalmobile in St. Peter's Square.
Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi hailed his countryman - himself a big fan of the beautiful game - for "making the world a better place." | BGNES