Vatican City – So many Mourning people have lined up to see Pope Francis lying in condition In a simple wooden coffin inside the Saint-Pierre basilica, the Vatican kept the doors open all night due to the higher participation than expected, closing the basilica for only one hour Thursday morning for cleaning.
The Basilica closed 6 a.m. to 7 a.m., the scheduled opening time and, according to the French AFP news agency, thousands of people aligned themselves early Thursday to pay tribute.
The Vatican said that 48,600 people were deposited Francis“Coffin from 11 a.m. Wednesday, when public tributes started at 8:30 am Thursday, AFP reported. Later Thursday, the Vatican put the number at 61,000, said AFP.
The Vatican also announced that the pontiff’s tomb could be visited from Sunday morning, AFP reported.
Andreas Solaro / AFP via Getty Images
The basilica is bathed in muffled silence while people in mourning in the world Died Monday after a stroke and heart failure.
The hours spent aligned themselves with the majestic via della conciliazione through the Place Saint-Pierre and through the Holy Porte de la Basilique allowed the mourning people to find a community around the inheritance of the inclusion and the humble character of the Argentinian pontiff.
Emiliano Fernandez, a Catholic from Mexico, was line up around midnight, and after two hours, still had not reached the basilica.
“I even don’t care about the time I expect here. It’s just an opportunity to (show) how I admired Francisco in his life,” said Fernandez, whose admiration for the Pope grew up during his visit in 2016 in Mexico. ” I think because of the respect I have for him and the great person he was, it is worth waiting. “”
Among those in mourning of the first day, there was a 14 -year -old religious group near Milan who arrived for the Canonization pending now pending the first millenniumAs well as a woman who prayed to the Pope for a successful operation and an Italian family who brought their grandchildren to see the body of the Pope.
Andrea Mancini / Nurphoto via Getty Images 
“We came because we did not bring them when he was alive, so we thought that we will bring them for a last farewell, ” said Rosa Scorpati, who came out of the basilica with her three children in the strollers.” They were good, but I don’t think they really understood because they haven’t faced death yet. “”
Like many others, the Scorpeti family of Calabria was in Rome on Easter vacation, to be met with the News from Francis’ death on Easter Monday.
By devotion to the Pope and his message of inclusion, the faithful in mourning joined the procession of mourning people who walked from the Saint-Pierre square through the holy door of the basilica, repentant among them winning an indulgence, a form of expiation grants during the holy year jubilee. From there, the line extended into the central aisle of the basilica to the simple wooden coffin of the Pope.
After three days of public visualization, a Funeral mass, including heads of state will be held on Saturday on Place St. Peter. The pope will then be buried in a niche in the Saint-Mary Major basilica, near his favorite icon of Madonna.
The death of Francis, who was 88 years old, crowned a 12 -year -old pontificate characterized by his concern for the poor and his message of inclusion, but he was also criticized by certain conservatives who felt distant by his progressive perspective.
A The procession of priests, bishops and cardinals accompanied the body of Francis on Wednesday In his journey of a private vision inside the Vatican in Saint-Pierre square. The apparatus contrasts with the human interactions of basic mourning people during public vision.
Francis is lying in an open coffin, perched on a ramp in front of mourning people, with four Swiss guards resting for attention. While the crowd reached the coffin, many raised their smartphones to take a photo.
A nun accompanying an elderly woman with a cane walks sobbing, “my pope left. ”
Such despair was rare. The atmosphere was more a gratitude for a pope who had, for example, taught many people to open their minds.
