SOURCE :- THE AGE NEWS
Vatican City: Under a bright Roman sun and amid tight security, tens of thousands of mourners began filing through the doors of St Peter’s Basilica to pay their final respects to Pope Francis, who died on Monday at the age of 88.
The late pontiff’s body now lies in state inside the Basilica, where it will remain until his funeral on Saturday. The Vatican expects at least 250,000 people to attend the service, with world leaders and religious figures from more than 100 countries to arrive in the coming days.
The Pope’s body arrives at St Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday.Credit: Flavio Brancaleone
By Wednesday evening, the queue to view the pope’s coffin stretched for more than eight hours from start to finish. Pilgrims, tourists, and the curious snaked through Vatican City in a slow-moving procession, a striking reminder of Francis’s global appeal and the personal connection many felt with a pope who often spoke of compassion, inclusion, and humility.
Cardinals in scarlet robes accompanied his simple wooden coffin in a solemn procession in the morning from Casa Santa Marta, the Vatican guesthouse where Francis had chosen to live throughout his papacy rather than the grand Apostolic Palace. Applause broke out in parts of the crowd as the procession passed. Others wept quietly.
Inside the Basilica, where the atmosphere is subdued, four Swiss Guards stand vigil around the coffin in their traditional striped uniforms of blue, red, and yellow, their halberds resting beside them.
Mourners pass silently, some reportedly pausing for a short prayer, even a selfie, while others wipe away tears.
Mourners pay their respects to Pope Francis on Wednesday as he lies in state at St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.Credit: Flavio Brancaleone
There are nuns in floor-length habits, some crisp white, others dark navy and grey; young priests in black cassocks with Roman collars; and families dressed for the long wait in comfortable shoes and sunhats, with rosaries in hand.
Media allowed in to observe reported a young woman in denim jeans and a loose white blouse sobbing quietly, while a group of seminarians in black suits clasped their hands and bowed their heads. Others were seen in Juventus football jerseys. A family in co-ordinated pastel outfits communicated in sign language as they passed the Pope’s coffin, pausing briefly, hands trembling.
“I think we received the blessing from above,” newlyweds Luis and Macarena, dressed neatly in light linen, told the BBC. They had travelled to Rome hoping to see the Pope in person.
Across St Peter’s Square, Vatican workers in fluorescent vests and wide-brimmed hats are preparing for Saturday’s funeral. Dozens of rows of white chairs are already in place and a large video screen has been installed to accommodate the vast crowd expected to spill well beyond the square itself.
Thousands of people queue in St Peter’s Square to see the Pope.Credit: Flavio Brancaleone
Security has been significantly increased. Officers in dark uniforms and bulletproof vests are stationed throughout the area, with more checkpoints and a heavier police presence in and around the Vatican. Surveillance drones hover quietly overhead as journalists from around the world assemble in designated media zones, many in rolled-up shirt sleeves and carrying heavy camera gear in the heat.
Though the funeral is days away, the atmosphere in the Vatican is already one of high alert and quiet reflection. The city-state, used to centuries of papal transition, is now in the early stages of preparing for the next chapter. Conversations among cardinals – in their black cassocks with red piping and zucchettos – and speculation about the coming conclave are already swirling, even as the Church remains focused on mourning the late pope.
The crowds reflect the scope of Francis’s impact. Alongside Rome’s usual influx of tourists are Catholic pilgrims from across the globe, including groups from the United States, Britain, Zimbabwe, Argentina and the Philippines, many of whom travelled at short notice to be present.
“We felt we had to be here,” Angela, a 42-year-old teacher from Manila, says, wearing a sunhat and carrying a small statue of the Virgin Mary in her backpack. “He was the pope who understood people.”
Nuns join those paying their respects at the Vatican on Wednesday.Credit: Flavio Brancaleone
The Vatican has not yet released details of the funeral ceremony’s order of service, but it is expected to follow traditional liturgy with some adjustments to reflect Francis’s known preferences for simplicity.
As the sun set over Rome, the queue showed no sign of shrinking. Lights illuminate the facade of St Peter’s, and the line moves on, quiet, steady, and long.
Francis, who began his papacy with a simple “buona sera” from the balcony above, is now receiving a global farewell that feels as much personal as it is historic.
