By Joshua McElwee, Crispian Balmer and Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -Royalty, presidents, prime ministers and a legion of faithful will pay their last respects to Pope Francis on Saturday at a funeral Mass in St.

Mourners are gathering in Vatican City and lining the streets of Rome to give a final send-off to Pope Francis, who will be remembered as a champion of the poor and for his efforts to reshape the Catholic Church.

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.