So many mourners lined up to see Pope Francis lying in the state in a simple wooden coffin inside St. Peter's Basilica, the Vatican kept the doors all night long due to high turnout, closing the cathedral for only an hour on Thursday morning for cleaning.
The cathedral bathed in quiet silence as mourners from around the globe conducted a slow and shuffled parade on the main aisles, paying their last respect to Francis, who died Monday after a stroke.
The time spent in solemn queues through St. Peter's Square and the Della Conciliazione who enters the cathedral through the Della Conciliazione through St. Peter's Square and the time spent in solemn queues enables the mourners to find communities around the legacy of the inclusive and humble role of Pontiff in Argentina.
Emiliano Fernandez, a Catholic from Mexico, waited in line around midnight and still did not arrive at the cathedral two hours later.
“I don't even care how much time I'm waiting here. It's just an opportunity to (display) my life to appreciate Francisco,” Fernandez said, adding that his admiration for the pope grew up when he visited Mexico in 2016. “I think it’s worth waiting for because of my respect for him and his great people.”
The final figure released by the Vatican said that more than 50,000 people paid tribute to them in the first 12 hours of public viewing starting at 11 a.m. Wednesday. The cathedral closed for an hour from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. on Thursday (planned opening hours).
Among the first day of the mourners are a 14-year-old church group from near Milan who arrives at the unanimous classicization of the first millennial saints, as well as a woman praying for successful action and an Italian family with small children who bring the pontiff's body.
“We came because we didn’t bring them when he was alive, so we thought we would bring them for the final farewell,” said Rosa Scorpati, who left the cathedral in a stroller with his three children on Wednesday. “They're good, but I don't think they really don't understand because they haven't dealt with death yet, so they really don't understand.”
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Like many others, the Scorpio family from Calabria was in Rome during the Easter holiday, but received news that Francis had passed away on Easter Monday.
Faithful faithfulness, faithfulness, faithfulness, faithfulness and his inclusive message joined the procession of the mourners who walked from St. Peter's Square through the Holy Door of the Cathedral, where the repents gained an indulgent interest, a form of atonement granted during the Jubilee Year. From there, the line extends from the central aisle of the cathedral to the simple wooden coffin of the pope.
By late Wednesday, the wait appears to be three to four hours of growth. A crowd manager is expected to wait nearly five hours. The mourners extend along the Jubilee Pilgrim's driveway to the center of Via della Conciliazione.
After three days of public viewing, funerals, including the head of state, will be held on Saturday at St. Peter's Square. The Pope will then be buried in a niche inside Major St. Mary’s Cathedral near his favorite Madonna idol.
People lined up to see state Pope Francis, located inside St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber).
The death of Francis, 88, capped a 12-year tenet characterized by his attention to the poor and his inclusive message, but he has also been criticized by some conservatives who feel that his prospects for progress have alienated him.
Francis's body was viewed from a private view of St. Peter's Square on Wednesday, accompanying Francis's body with Francis's body. The beauty pageant contrasts sharply with the human interaction of gift givers in public view.
Francis lay in an open coffin, sitting on a ramp facing mourners, with four Swiss guards drawing attention. When the crowd reached the coffin, many people raised their smartphones to take pictures.
A nun who accompanied an old woman to walk away with a cane cried: “My pope is gone.”
The nun prayed in St. Peter's Basilica, where Pope Francis, Vatican, on Thursday, April 24, 2025.
This kind of despair is rare. It is a gratitude for the pope to have taught many people the open mind.
“I am very committed to the Pope,” said Ivenes Bianco of Rome, Brindisi, Italy. “He is important to me because he brings many people together by encouraging coexistence.” She cited Francis’ acceptance of the gay community and his insistence on helping the poor.
Humbeline Coroy came to Rome from Perpignan, France, to plan a model of the plan for 15-year-old Carlo Acutis, which was suspended after the death of the Pope. She stayed to pay tribute to Francis and communicated with the Japanese mourners they met while waiting in the sun at St. Peter's Square.
“For me, it's a lot of things. In my job, I work with children with disabilities, and then I go to Madagascar to work with the poor. Here, approaching the pope, is a way to bring these experiences together and make them concrete.”
For Alessandra Nardi, the death of the pope recalled the death of her beloved Uncle Luigi, who once called her from St. Peter's Square when he came to see Pope Francis saying the Mass.
Riccardo Ojedea, from Colombia, said his experience was waiting in line for two hours to pay tribute to the pope and show him the extent to which “human loves the pope”.
He said: “He left a very important legacy for everyone to make the world happier.”''
– AP Video reporter Isaia Montelione contributed.
& Copy 2025 Canadian Press
