Who is attending the pope’s funeral?

World leaders began arriving in Rome on Friday before Pope Francis’s weekend burial, a ceremony that, although more low-key than usual, is still set to be a historic event.

Pope Francis, who died on Monday from heart failure following a stroke at the age of 88, was widely popular for what many saw as his humility and compassion for marginalised people.

The passing of a pope represents a momentous shift for the Catholic Church, and burial rites and the eventual selection of a new papal leader are all usually elaborate affairs. However, the late Pope Francis had asked for a simpler funeral: His body will be buried in a simple coffin made of wood and lowered into an unmarked tomb.

Still, the funeral roll call, which features 170 foreign dignitaries, including dozens of heads of state, will make the event an extraordinary political gathering. Since not all the attendees see eye to eye, there’s also likely to be a dash of diplomatic awkwardness.

Here’s what we know about who will be attending.

The ceremony will begin at 10am CET (08:00 GMT) on Saturday, April 26. It will be held at St Peter’s Square in the Vatican.

Popes are usually buried beneath St Peter’s Basilica, but Santa Maria Maggiore church, a short walk from the city’s Termini central train station, is the pope’s choice as his final resting place.

During his lifetime, the church was Pope Francis’s favourite, and he visited often in his final days as his health weakened. Santa Maria Maggiore is one of Rome’s major basilicas and the first to be dedicated to the Virgin Mary back in the 14th century.

Several heads of state and royals have confirmed their attendance in Rome for the funeral on Saturday. Some of them have had pleasant interactions with the pope during his lifetime, but he did not always agree with others.