Pope Francis?s final journey to mother earth will begin today when former Archbishop of Los Angeles, Cardinal Roger Mahony, closes his coffin ? despite being stripped of all his administrative and public duties in 2013 after covering up a child sex abuse scandal.

The coffin bearing the body of Pope Francis is due to be sealed today at 8pm (18:00 GMT) in a ceremony presided over by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Camerlengo, who is running the Vatican?s day-to-day affairs until a new pope is elected.

More than 170 delegations ? including heads of state and government and other dignitaries, such as United States President Donald Trump, Argentinian President Javier Milei and Britain?s Prince William ? are expected in St. Peter?s Square for Saturday?s funeral as millions more people watch on television across the globe.

Italy?s Civil Protection Department estimated that ?several hundred thousand? people will descend on Rome on what was already set to be a busy weekend due to a public holiday.

After the funeral, Francis?s coffin will be taken to his favourite church, Rome?s papal basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.

A group of ?poor and needy? will be present at the basilica to welcome the coffin, the Vatican said.

He will be interred in the ground, his simple tomb marked with just one word: Franciscus. People will be able to visit it from Sunday morning, the Vatican announced.

Pope?s tomb made of marble from Italian grandparents? land

The announcement that the tomb stone for Pope Francis comes from Liguria, deeply moved the entire community of Cogorno, a small village overlooking the sea where Pope Francis? family roots lie.

Pope Francis? tomb in the Basilica of St. Mary Major has been made with materials from the Italian region of Liguria. It is a simple tomb bearing only the inscription ?Franciscus? and a reproduction of the late Pope?s pectoral cross.

The tomb is located near the Altar of St Francis, in the niche of the side nave between the Pauline Chapel (Salus Populi Romani Chapel) and the Sforza Chapel. Speaking on television, the co-Archpriest of the Basilica, Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, announced Pope Francis? desire to be buried in a tomb made from the ?stone of Liguria, the land of his grandparents.?

It is precisely in the small town of Cogorno that a plaque of slate ? a fine-grained grey, green or bluish metamorphic rock ? commemorates Bergoglio?s great grandfather, Vincenzo Sivori. He travelled from Italy to Argentina in the 1800s. There, he raised his family, including his grand-daughter Regina Maria Sivori: Pope Francis? mother.

Pope Francis often kept his connection to Liguria private, so the Mayor of the town, Enrica Sommariva, described her surprise when she heard that the Pope had requested stone from his grandparents? region for his tomb.

Angela Sivori, who still lives in Cogorno, recounted the moment in which she found out she was Pope Francis? cousin. She described receiving a phone call from Buenos Aires, and a genealogy tree via email. She and her daughter, Cristina, said the Pope?s request regarding the stone for the tomb was a wonderful gift to the family, ?one last surprise?, Cristina said.

Meeting the families

In May 2017, Pope Francis met his family in Genova.

Cristina recalled that at the time her mother was 87 and that they had no idea they would be meeting Pope Francis until the very last minute.

?Then, three days before, we got a call from the Vatican. Seven of us got together and he welcomed us like a cousin who had come from the ?end of the world.?? During the meeting, Pope Francis shook his cousins? hands, smiled, and exclaimed, ?At last, I meet the Sivoris!?

So there is a deep connection between slate and the late Pope.

Franca Garbaino, the President of the Slate District, which includes 18 quarries and 12 companies in the Ligurian hills, described it as ?not a noble stone? but rather as ?the people?s stone?, and one that ?gives warmth.? The District has already agreed to create slabs that will accompany Pope Francis in his eternal rest.

Even before the Pope, the town of Cogorno had ties to Popes Innocent IV and Adrian V. The town, carrying this pleasant surprise, echoes how Pope Francis lived, up until the very end of his earthly journey.

Doctor recounts Pope?s last moment

Dr. Sergio Alfieri, Pope Francis? doctor, yesterday recounted the pontiff?s final moments in a pair of newspaper interviews, saying the pontiff had his eyes open and was breathing with oxygen.

The doctor said that the pope was unresponsive after being stricken by illness early on Monday morning; he died without suffering at home. Dr. Alfieri coordinated Francis? five-week hospital treatment for double pneumonia.

Alfieri continued to oversee the pope?s treatment after the pontiff returned to the Vatican on March 23 for two months of rest to allow a full recovery.

He was alerted at 5:30 a.m. on Monday by Francis? health care assistant, Massimiliano Strappetti, that the pope had been stricken and needed to be taken to the hospital.

The doctor told the Milan daily Corriere della Sera that he arrived 20 minutes later.

?I went into his room, and he had his eyes open. I noted that he did not have respiratory issues, so I tried to call him but he did not respond,? Alfieri was quoted by Corriere as saying.

He added that his lungs were clear and he was receiving supplemental oxygen.

?He also did not respond to stimuli, even painful ones, in that moment I understood there was nothing more to do, he was in a coma.??

Alfieri said it was too risky moving Francis back to the Gemelli hospital, where he was treated for a complex respiratory infection that nearly killed him twice.

Two hours after falling ill, the pope died, having suffered a stroke.

?He died without suffering, at home,? Alfieri told the Rome daily La Repubblica.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin arrived and said the rosary over the body, accompanied by the papal household staff, Alfieri told Corriere.

?I gave him a caress, as a farewell,? the doctor said.

Vatican News has reported that the pope managed a gesture of farewell to Strappetti after falling ill.

Alfieri became the pope?s surgeon when he needed treatment for diverticulitis in 2021. He tried to get him on a diet after the surgery.

?We knew he wouldn?t return to his former condition, and that the infection had left another scar on his lungs,? the surgeon said.

?He improved with physical therapy. I saw him on Saturday, and I found him in good shape.

?I didn?t think it would be the last meeting,?? Alfieri told la Repubblica.

Though Francis was ordered to rest and avoid crowds for two months to recover, Alfieri expressed understanding for the pope?s desire to return to work.

?Going back to work was part of his treatment, and he never exposed himself to dangers,? Alfieri told Corriere.

Francis couldn?t resist appearing in St. Peter?s Square on Sunday, which culminated with a long drive through the Easter crowd of 50,000 on the pope mobile, with several stops to bless children.

The pope insisted on inviting health care workers from the Gemelli hospital to the Vatican before Easter, even though the doctor suggested they wait until the end of the two-month convalescence in June.

?I have the clear sensation now that there were a series of things he felt he had to do before dying.

?We knew he wanted to return home to be pope until the last instant, and he didn?t disappoint us,?? Alfieri told Corriere.

Election of new pope

After his funeral, all eyes will turn to the process of choosing Francis?s successor.

?A chapter in the church?s history has been closed,? Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Mueller told the Italian daily La Repubblica in an interview published on Thursday.

Mueller is one of the 135 cardinals eligible to vote in the secret conclave that will be held next month to elect the Catholic Church?s 267th pontiff.

Before the conclave, which is not expected to begin until at least May 6, cardinals already in Rome are meeting each day, primarily to discuss logistical matters for the day-to-day running of the 1.4 billion-member church.

Thursday?s meeting lasted about three hours and 113 cardinals took part, the Vatican said. The next meeting is expected on Friday morning, but the cardinals will not meet on the day of the funeral.

Every cardinal taking part in the meetings must take an oath to ?scrupulously maintain? secrecy over any discussions about the election of the next pope. (The Nation, but headline rejigged)

Update news