Sawt Falasteen - Pilgrims gather as Pope Francis begins lying in state

The body of the Argentine pope, who died on Monday aged 88 after a stroke, will remain there until his funeral on Saturday in the majestic Baroque plaza in front of the basilica.

Francis died in the Casa Santa Marta, the modest residence where he lived during his 12-year papacy, and his body was moved to its chapel on Monday evening.

On Wednesday, it will be taken to the ornate St Peter's at 9:00 am (0700 GMT) in a procession accompanied by a liturgy, psalms and prayers.

His simple wood coffin will enter through the central door of the basilica before being placed before the Altar of the Confession, where Bernini's bronze baldacchino soars up towards Michelangelo's famous dome.

The public will be allowed in from 11:00 am until midnight. Thursday hours are 7:00 am to midnight, with Friday from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm.

Saturday's funeral is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of pilgrims, as well as world leaders including US President Donald Trump and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as Britain's Prince William.

Afterwards, Francis's coffin will be transported to his favourite church, Rome's papal basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, where his coffin will be interred in the ground and marked by a simple inscription: Franciscus.

He will become the first pope in more than 100 years to be laid to rest outside the Vatican.

- Come back to Rome -

Italy is preparing for a major security operation for the funeral, with the weekend already due to be busy because of the public holiday on Friday April 25.

Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said authorities were expecting between 150 to 170 foreign delegations, and tens of thousands of people.

Italy has declared five days of national mourning -- longer than the three days observed for Polish pope John Paul II in 2005, but less than the week declared for Francis by his native Argentina.

After the funeral, all eyes will turn to the process to choose Francis's successor as leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.

Cardinals around the world have already been sent letters from the Holy See, instructing them to return to Rome to select a new pope.

Only those under the age of 80 are eligible to vote for a pope in the conclave, which should begin no less than 15 days and no more than 20 after the death of the pope.

About 60 cardinals of all ages already in Rome met Tuesday to choose the funeral date, in a so-called "general congregation".

A second meeting is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, led by the camerlengo, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who is charged with running the day-to-day operations of the Holy See before a successor to Francis is chosen.

Francis's death came less than a month after he was discharged from the hospital, where he spent five weeks battling pneumonia in both lungs.

On Easter Sunday, the day before his death, he circled St Peter's Square in his popemobile following mass and his traditional address to greet the crowds, stopping to kiss babies along the way.

The next morning, he died at 7:35 am after having suffered a stroke, a coma and heart failure, according to his death certificate.

Images of Francis from Monday night lying in his open coffin inside the Casa Santa Marta chapel were published by the Vatican Tuesday.

The unassuming pope, who eschewed pomp, was dressed in red papal vestments, with a mitre on his head and a rosary laced between his fingers.

Sister Maria Guadeloupe Hernandez Olivo, from Mexico, said it was "very hard, very sad" to hear news of his death.

"I did not expect it," she told AFP in St Peter's Square, adding: "I believe he's in a better place, no longer suffering, but I do feel this emptiness for our pastor."

burs-ams/ar/db/tym

T.Samara--SF-PST