Mourners are paying their respects to Pope Francis, whose body was moved from the Vatican residence to St Peter’s Basilica before his funeral on Saturday.
The Pope’s open coffin was carried yesterday morning in a solemn procession through St Peter’s Square where as many as 20,000 pilgrims had gathered, Vatican media said. As the coffin crossed the square, bells tolled and crowds broke into applause – a traditional Italian sign of respect.
The Pope died on Monday aged 88 following a stroke and a battle with double pneumonia, which led to him spending five weeks in hospital earlier this year.
The first Latin American leader of the Catholic Church, he had held the role for 12 years. Yesterday, red-robed cardinals and white-clad priests walked the Pope’s coffin from his personal residence at the Casa Santa Marta guesthouse to the St Peter’s Basilica.
The procession lasted a little under 40 minutes. Swiss Guards, who are responsible for the Pope’s safety, escorted his coffin to the church’s altar.
His body will lie in state in the church until Friday evening. Public viewing began at 11:00 local time (10:00 BST) yesterday. Soon after the event began, the queue was already eight hours long, reported Italian media. By mid-afternoon, tens of thousands of people were lining the square, reports the BBC.
The Vatican said yesterday afternoon it might extend the church’s opening time beyond midnight due to the number of people wanting to pay their respects.
The church had been due to close at midnight local time yesterday and today and at 19:00 tomorrow, before the coffin was sealed.
Luis and Macarena, from Mexico, had come to Rome for their honeymoon and hoped to see the Pope, who gives a special blessing to newlyweds. Luis told the BBC seeing the Pope’s final resting place would allow them to feel a connection.
“Pope Francis is a saint and he will bless us from heaven,” Luis said. Mary Ellen, an American who lives in Italy, said she had come to the Vatican on an overnight train to “say goodbye”.
“I love Papa Francesco,” she said. “Because he’s humble, kind, and loves immigrants. I know he’s put up with a lot of difficult things in the Vatican.
He’s fought against power and the power of the Vatican to be a true Christian, true Catholic.” She said when she passes the coffin, she will be praying and will ask Pope Francis for help with her own work with immigrants.
