Rome preparing for mammoth task of Pope's funeral

Rome is a city getting ready. Security cordons and a heavy police and army presence around the Vatican and the wider area give an indication of the size of the events which will take place here in the coming days.

On Tuesday, pilgrims and tourists were able to mingle under the Roman sun but in the days ahead roads will become closed off and the public access will become more limited in a bid to organise access to the lying in state of Pope Francis and prepare for his funeral on Saturday.

It is a mammoth task.

The organisation of a visit by just one of the international leaders who will attend would be a major logistical operation.

Read more: Who are the world leaders set to attend Pope's funeral?

The fact that so many will descend on the Vatican for the few same hours takes those logistics to a whole new level.

Added to that is the desire to allow the public to be part of a farewell to a Pope who was particularly known for his desire, and ability, to connect with people across all walks of life.

That public farewell will begin Wednesday and end on Friday evening, at which point the scene will be set for heads of state and heads of government to join a range of religious leaders for the Pope’s funeral.

It will be a fitting tribute to a Pope who sought to find agreement where he could that the funeral will involve leaders he censured, like US President Donald Trump, and leaders he praised such as Ireland's President Michael D Higgins.

The common ground in the coming days will be the desire to say farewell to a pontiff who may have been praised and may have been criticised, but was rarely ignored.