Nearly 20,000 individuals have flocked to St. Peter’s Basilica to pay their last tributes to Pope Francis, whose body is lying in state for three days before his funeral on Saturday, according to the Vatican.
As crowds stretched down the primary boulevard leading through Rome to the Vatican, they slowly moved forward under the warm spring sun, taking their chance to view the late pontiff in his open coffin.
The remains of the 88-year-old pope, who passed away two days ago in his quarters at the Vatican’s Santa Marta guesthouse following a stroke, were brought to St. Peter’s in a solemn procession earlier today.
Cardinals, bishops, friars, and Swiss Guards walked slowly into the expansive square in front of the basilica, where a choir sang psalms and prayers in Latin while a bell softly tolled.
“Dear brothers and sisters, with profound sorrow we now accompany the mortal remains of our Pope Francis to the Vatican Basilica,” stated Irish-born Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who serves as the camerlengo, at the start of the ceremony.
Pope Francis will lie in state for the upcoming three days in St. Peter’s Basilica.
Vatican officials assisted 14 white-gloved, black-suited pallbearers in carrying the coffin up a stone slope, as the procession passed through St. Peter’s monumental bronze doors and into the quiet interior of the ornate, cavernous church.
As the formal ceremony to bring the pope’s body to the basilica was concluding, Sr. Genevieve Jeanningros, a nun from the coastal town of Ostia, stood by the casket in tears.
Sr. Jeanningros, recognized for her contributions to the LGBTQ+ community, had welcomed Pope Francis during his visits to Ostia on several occasions.
The pontiff had only recently returned from the hospital after a five-week treatment for double pneumonia. He was last seen in public on Sunday, delighting the crowd gathered to celebrate Easter as he was driven around the packed square in his open-topped popemobile.
Clad in his papal vestments – a red chasuble, white mitre, and black shoes – with a rosary resting between his fingers, the Pope’s body has been placed in a red-lined wooden coffin.
For the next three days, it will rest on a low bier before the Altar of the Confession, beneath a dome painted by Michelangelo, before being sealed at 8 PM on Friday evening ahead of Saturday’s funeral.
Individuals wait in line to enter St. Peter’s Basilica and pay their respects to Pope Francis.
While the Vatican had initially planned to end today’s visits at midnight, it may extend the timeframe due to a “high flow” of pilgrims.
A retired Irish couple in their 60s expressed that, despite being on holiday in Rome, it was a “priority” to see Pope Francis, whom they said had made efforts to address the issue of clerical sexual abuse in their country.
“He was a great man, a strong advocate for the less fortunate, and those who suffered at the hands of his followers,” said Clíodhna Devlin.
“He’s like family. Someone very dear to our hearts, someone who made the Church accessible and inclusive to everyone,” remarked British woman Rachel McKay.
Watch: The moment Pope Francis’s coffin is placed before the Altar of the Confession in St. Peter’s Basilica.
The funeral on Saturday is expected to host heads of state and government from around the world, including US President Donald Trump, who has had multiple disagreements with the Pope over social issues.
President Michael D. Higgins, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, and Tanáiste Simon Harris are all anticipated to be in attendance.
Leaders from Italy, France, Germany, Britain, Ukraine, EU institutions, and Francis’s homeland of Argentina have also confirmed their presence.
The head of Italy’s civil protection agency, Fabio Ciciliano, stated that at least 200,000 people are projected to attend the outdoor service, as reported by the Corriere della Sera newspaper.
Watch: Thousands queue to pay respects to Pope Francis in the Vatican.
Italy is gearing up for a significant security operation for the funeral, coinciding with a busy weekend due to the public holiday on Friday, April 25.
Barriers have already been installed inside and outside the basilica, security checks have been heightened, and staff are distributing bottled water in consideration of the warm weather.
Five days of national mourning have been declared – more than the three days observed for Pope John Paul II in 2005, yet less than the week of mourning declared for Francis by his home country of Argentina.
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi mentioned that authorities anticipate between 150 to 170 foreign delegations.
Read More: Security in Rome to intensify ahead of Pope’s funeral; Who might succeed Pope Francis? Some possible candidates; Climate justice central to Francis’s message.
A conclave to elect the new pope is not anticipated to commence before May 6.
Cardinals worldwide have already received letters from the Holy See instructing them to return to Rome for the selection of a new pope.
Only those under 80 years old are eligible to vote in the conclave, which must begin no less than 15 days and no more than 20 days after the pope’s death.
Irish-born Cardinal Kevin Farrell blesses Pope Francis’s coffin inside St. Peter’s Basilica.
During this “sede vacante” (vacant seat) period for the global Catholic Church, Cardinal Farrell is overseeing day-to-day operations.
About 60 cardinals of various ages already in Rome convened yesterday to determine the date of the funeral during a “general congregation.”
A second meeting of cardinals is scheduled for this afternoon, led by Cardinal Farrell.
Following the funeral on Saturday, Pope Francis’s coffin will be taken to his beloved church, the papal basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, where he will be interred in the ground marked by the simple inscription: Franciscus.
He will become the first pope in over a century to be buried outside the Vatican.
