Tens of thousands of people have gathered at St Peter’s Basilica to pay their final respects to Pope Francis, as the late Argentine pontiff lies in state for a three-day public viewing, reports RTE.
A lengthy queue of mourners and tourists filled the vast St Peter’s Square ahead of the basilica’s doors opening at 11am (10am Irish time), allowing the public to pass by the open casket.
“I came to say a last goodbye to a great man. He stood for the people,” Simonetta Marini, 67, an Italian pensioner, said, reports RTE.
Pope Francis, who became a reforming leader of the 1.4 billion-strong Catholic Church in 2013, passed away on Monday at the age of 88.
As per the Vatican-issued death certificate, his cause of death was listed as a “cerebral stroke, coma, irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse”, reports RTE.
He had recently spent five weeks in the hospital being treated for severe pneumonia.
His body, dressed in traditional papal garments—a red chasuble, white mitre, and black shoes—lies in a wooden coffin lined with red, with a rosary wrapped in his fingers.
For the next three days, his body will rest on a low platform before the Altar of the Confession, located beneath Michelangelo’s dome, until it is sealed at 8pm on Friday ahead of Saturday’s funeral, reports RTE.
Although the Vatican originally planned to close today’s public viewing at midnight, it has indicated it might keep the basilica open longer due to an “increased flow” of pilgrims.
A retired Irish couple in their 60s mentioned that despite being on a holiday in Rome, seeing Pope Francis was a “priority,” highlighting his efforts to confront clerical sexual abuse in Ireland.
“He was a great man, a great advocate for the poor, the underprivileged and those who suffered at the hands of his flock,” said Clíodhna Devlin, reports RTE.
Vincenza Nocilla, a 67-year-old retired nurse, departed from her home in Formia, near Rome, at 4am to ensure she could be among the first visitors.
“It was really moving,” she said after exiting the basilica, adding: “They don’t let you stay long, you walk by, say a quick goodbye and go,” reports RTE.
Authorities estimated that roughly 20,000 people were waiting to enter when the doors officially opened.
Inside, the line of people—ten wide—moved gradually through the central aisle, heading toward the coffin, reports RTE.
Earlier, a procession of cardinals, clergy, and Swiss Guards had accompanied the Pope’s casket from the Casa Santa Marta, where he resided throughout his papacy, to St Peter’s Basilica.
As the coffin was carried by 14 pallbearers, the basilica’s bells tolled and a Latin choir sang psalms and prayers, while onlookers in St Peter’s Square captured the moment on their phones and applauded, reports RTE.
“Dear brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow we now accompany the mortal remains of our Pope Francis to the Vatican Basilica,” said Irish-born Cardinal Kevin Farrell at the start of the procession.
As the coffin passed through the square, applause erupted—a customary Italian expression of respect during such occasions, reports RTE.
Pope Francis made his last public appearance on Sunday, greeting crowds from his signature white, open-topped popemobile.
Saturday’s funeral will be attended by numerous international dignitaries, including US President Donald Trump, who had frequent disagreements with the Pope on social matters, reports RTE.
President Michael D Higgins, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, and Tánaiste Simon Harris are also scheduled to attend.
Delegations from Italy, France, Germany, the UK, Ukraine, the EU, and Argentina—Francis’s homeland—have confirmed their participation, reports RTE.
Italy’s civil protection chief, Fabio Ciciliano, told Corriere della Sera that up to 200,000 people are expected for the open-air funeral.
Given the national holiday on Friday, April 25, and the expected influx of visitors, Italian authorities are preparing extensive security measures for the weekend.
Barriers have already been erected inside and outside the basilica, security screening has intensified, and bottles of water are being handed out to help people cope with the warm weather, reports RTE.
Argentina has declared five days of national mourning—more than the three days allotted for Pope John Paul II in 2005, though not as long as the full week observed by Francis’s homeland.
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said between 150 and 170 foreign delegations, along with tens of thousands of individuals, are expected in Rome, reports RTE.
The conclave to choose the new pope is not expected to begin until after May 6.
The Holy See has already dispatched letters to cardinals around the globe, summoning them to Rome to vote in the upcoming papal election.
Only cardinals under 80 years of age are eligible to cast votes in the conclave, which must begin between 15 and 20 days after a pope’s death, reports RTE.
During this interregnum—called the “sede vacante” or vacant seat—Cardinal Farrell, the camerlengo, manages the Church’s daily affairs.
Roughly 60 cardinals who are already in Rome met yesterday to determine the funeral date, forming what’s called the “general congregation”, reports RTE.
A second gathering of cardinals, this one led by Cardinal Farrell, is scheduled for this afternoon.
After Saturday’s funeral, Pope Francis’s casket will be transported to his preferred place of worship, the papal basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, where it will be buried and marked with a simple engraving: Franciscus.
He will be the first pope in more than a century to be laid to rest outside the Vatican, reports RTE.
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