Camille Naredo

A Swiss guard looks on inside the St Peter's Basilica prior to the procession of the late Pope's coffin from the chapel of Santa Marta to St Peter's Basilica, following the Pope's death, in the Vatican on April 23, 2025. Tiziana Fabi, AFP

A Swiss guard looks on inside the St Peter's Basilica prior to the procession of the late Pope's coffin from the chapel of Santa Marta to St Peter's Basilica, following the Pope's death, in the Vatican on April 23, 2025. The Pope died of a stroke, the Vatican announced hours after the death on April 21, 2025, of the 88-year-old reformer who inspired devotion but riled traditionalists during 12 years leading the Catholic Church. (Photo by Tiziana FABI / AFP)

Article (news)

POPE FRANCIS

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1745421825285AFP__20250423__43773PB__v1__Preview__VaticanReligionPope.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="A Swiss guard looks on inside the St Peter&#x27;s Basilica prior to the procession of the late Pope&#x27;s coffin from the chapel of Santa Marta to St Peter&#x27;s Basilica, following the Pope&#x27;s death, in the Vatican on April 23, 2025. Tiziana Fabi, AFP"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">A Swiss guard looks on inside the St Peter&#x27;s Basilica prior to the procession of the late Pope&#x27;s coffin from the chapel of Santa Marta to St Peter&#x27;s Basilica, following the Pope&#x27;s death, in the Vatican on April 23, 2025. <em>Tiziana Fabi, AFP</em></span></span></span></div><p>ROME, Italy -- With royals, presidents and hundreds of thousands of Catholic faithful heading to Rome following Pope Francis&#x27;s death, Italy and the Vatican are rolling out a massive security plan.</p><p>Francis&#x27;s funeral will take place on Saturday and cardinals have already begun arriving from around the world for both the ceremony and the conclave -- the secret voting process to elect a new pope.</p><p>The Argentine&#x27;s body is meanwhile lying in state in St Peter&#x27;s Basilica, drawing tens of thousands of mourners.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/4/23/pope-francis-s-coffin-begins-procession-towards-saint-peter-s-basilica-1513">READ: Tens of thousands say goodbye to Pope Francis lying in state</a></div><p>&quot;We&#x27;ve been on alert since Monday,&quot; when the 88-year-old Francis died, said a member of the Swiss Guard, the army responsible for the pope&#x27;s security, famed for their colorful striped uniforms.</p><p>&quot;And the next few days are going to be very difficult,&quot; the guard, who wanted to remain anonymous, told AFP.</p><p>Tourists already faced with numerous construction sites in the Italian capital and famously poor public transportation now find themselves at the heart of a lockdown set to last several weeks.</p><p>Fighter jets are on stand-by and special police sniper units are deployed on the rooftops of buildings along the Via della Conciliazione, the vast avenue which leads to St. Peter&#x27;s Square.</p><p>A 24-hour no-fly zone over Rome is already in place.</p><p>The political VIP line-up for the funeral includes US President Donald Trump, France&#x27;s Emmanuel Macron, Ukraine&#x27;s Volodymyr Zelensky, Brazil&#x27;s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Argentina&#x27;s Javier Milei.</p><p>The kings of Belgium and Spain will be present, as will Britain&#x27;s Prince William.</p><p>In all, between 150 and 170 delegations are expected -- and all will need a police escort.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/4/23/the-world-leaders-set-to-attend-pope-francis-s-funeral-2257">READ: The world leaders set to attend Pope Francis&#x27;s funeral</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>- &#x27;Very strict controls&#x27; -</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5pF1daL6b5k?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><p>For the funeral of John Paul II in April 2005, more than 10,000 law enforcement officers were deployed in the Eternal City, which hosted around 200 delegations.</p><p>As Francis&#x27;s body was laid in state, Italian police set up checkpoints around the Vatican.</p><p>&quot;The entire St. Peter&#x27;s area, and not only that, will be subject to very strict controls,&quot; warned Rome&#x27;s Prefect Lamberto Giannini.</p><p>Police helicopters buzz incessantly above Rome&#x27;s historic center and the approach to the Vatican.</p><p>Pilgrims entering St Peter&#x27;s have to go through airport-style security checks, placing their belongings in X-ray scanners while police carry out spot checks of backpacks in the area.</p><p>One officer told AFP that &quot;a few hundred police officers are on duty around the site&quot;.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/4/23/what-we-know-ahead-of-pope-francis-s-funeral-1759">READ: What we know ahead of Pope Francis&#x27;s funeral</a></div><p>Italy&#x27;s Civil Protection agency is deploying between 2,000 and 2,500 volunteers to supervise the faithful entering St. Peter&#x27;s Square to pay their last respects or attend Francis&#x27;s funeral.</p><p>Some 500 doctors and nurses from the civil protection and regional health service will be present, with ambulances on standby, the agency&#x27;s spokesperson Pierfrancesco Demilito told AFP.</p><p>&quot;It is impossible to know&quot; how many people will be present on the day of the funeral, as many faithful could come and go, but &quot;a few hundred thousand at least&quot; are expected, he said.</p><p>They are ready to &quot;increase the number of volunteers if necessary&quot;, he added.</p><p>Benedict XVI&#x27;s funeral in 2023 drew around 200,000 people but this is a special Catholic year -- a holy Jubilee year -- so at least 250,000 faithful are expected to turn out for Francis.</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/q-bdTDTEyO0?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>"We've been on alert since Monday," when the 88-year-old Francis died, said a member of the Swiss Guard, the army responsible for the pope's security, famed for their colourful striped uniforms.</p>

"We've been on alert since Monday," when the 88-year-old Francis died, said a member of the Swiss Guard, the army responsible for the pope's security, famed for their colourful striped uniforms.

Vatican, Rome in lockdown mode for Francis's funeral

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Vatican, Rome in lockdown mode for Francis's funeral

Agence France-Presse,

Ljubomir Milasin

Published Apr 24, 2025 06:21 AM PHT

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