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.

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.

Alongside the gossip and the gallows humor, the ancient and solemn rituals continue,” Chiara Barzini writes from Italy.