Pope Francis, in his last journey, will remain close to the 'poor, needy'

The Vatican has announced that a group representing the "poor and the needy" were invited to pay their last respects to Pope Francis in Saint Mary Major before his burial on Saturday, April 26, 2025

“The poor have a special place in God’s heart,” according to a communique by the Holy See Press Office. “So too in the heart and Magisterium of the Holy Father, who chose the name Francis so as to never forget them.”

“For this reason, a group of poor and needy people will be present on the steps leading to the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major to pay their last respects to Pope Francis before the interment of the coffin,” it added. 

The Vatican, as reported by Agence France Presse, said on Friday that 150,000 people have already paid their respects to Pope Francis, whose body is lying in state in St Peter's Basilica ahead of his funeral.

Between 11:00 am (0900 GMT) on Wednesday and midday on Friday, over 150,000 people had filed past Francis's body, a Vatican spokesman said.

People's Pope

A funeral Mass will take place at 10 a.m. on Saturday at St. Peter’s Square, which also marks the start of “Novendiales” Masses or nine days of mourning in memory of the deceased Pope.

Pope Francis was also dubbed as the “Pope of the People” for standing up for the voiceless and the minority.

In his message during the 8th World Day of the Poor in November last year, Pope Francis reminded the impoverished that God listens to the prayers of the poor.

“God knows the sufferings of his children because he is an attentive and caring father. As a father, he takes care of those who are most in need: the poor, the marginalized, the suffering and the forgotten,” he said.

“No one is excluded from his heart, for in his eyes, we are all poor and needy. We are all beggars because, without God, we would be nothing.”

Pope Francis died of a stroke and irreversible heart failure on Easter Monday, April 21. He was 88 years old. — with AFP report/BAP, GMA Integrated News