His memorial service is set for Saturday morning at 10 a.m. local time (4 a.m. ET) and his body will be buried at Rome's Basilica of Saint Mary Major in a simple wooden casket, per his request.

Francis did away with that sort of viewing. Instead, a procession brought his coffin on Wednesday directly to St. Peter’s Basilica, where a public viewing is taking place. Francis’ body, dressed in papal vestments, his head covered with a white bishop’s miter, is lying in state to allow tens of thousands of mourners to bid farewell.

From patrols on the River Tiber to surveillance drones and snipers deployed around St. Peter's Square, Rome is preparing to throw a thoroughly modern security shield around the ancient rituals of a papal funeral and its attendant huge crowds.