Vatican City, Holy Sea:
Pope Francis’s open co-moved to St. Peter’s Cathedral on Wednesday, where thousands of people gathered to pay tribute to the world’s Catholic leaders.
Bells rang out from the cathedral, wooden ffin was carried during the progress of past crowds in St. Peter’s Square, accompanied by red-covered cardinals and Swiss guards from the Vatican.
Pilgrims and tourists took photos, but some applause roared as a procession passed from the Santa Marta residence, where the 88-year-old Argentine Pope died Monday after a stroke.
Francis’ body was held in the Chapel of Santa Marta. Santa Marta lived during the Pope for 12 years, but is in the Cathedral province until Saturday’s funeral.
Anna Montoya, 33, from Mexico, was among those who arrived early to get a glimpse of the man she said she was “a part of the family.”
“I had to come…I felt like I knew him,” she told AFP. “He was a good man. He represented what the church needed, what Jesus wanted to teach us.”
Francis’ ffin was placed before the altar of St. Peter’s confession. There, Bernini’s bronze Bardacchino spiked towards Michelangelo’s famous dome. Unlike his predecessor’s higher, more ornate platform, it was placed in a lower via.
Funerals are expected to attract hundreds of thousands of pilgrims and world leaders such as US President Donald Trump, Ukraine’s Volodimir Zelensky, and British Prince William.
Francis’ co is then taken to his favourite church, Santa Maria Maggiore, in the Pope Cathedral of Rome, where he is buried on the ground and marked by Franciscus, a simple inscription.
“I missed it badly.”
Italy is preparing a massive security tactic for funerals. Because the weekend is already busy due to Friday public holidays.
Home Minister Matteo Piantedosi said the authorities expect foreign delegations of between 150 and 170 people and tens of thousands.
Barriers have already been set up inside and outside the cathedral to control crowds, increasing security checks and staff are distributing water bottles for the warmer climate.
Pasquale Apollo, a 43-year-old Roman teacher, said he had left town later that day, but wanted to see the Pope if possible.
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to see my body, but I wanted to be here today. I felt something this morning that told me to come,” he said.
“He was a guide to his ability to listen and welcome. He’ll be overlooked badly.”
Italy declared five days of national mourning for longer than the three days observed in Pope John Paul II in 2005, but less than the week declared in Francis by his native Argentina.
Cardinals Meeting
After the funeral, all eyes turn to the process and choose Francis’ successor as the world’s 1.4 billion Catholic leader.
Cardinals around the world are already sent from the Holy, which instructs them to choose the Holy Pope from the Holy Holy Man.
Only people under the age of 80 are eligible to vote in Conclave. This should begin from more than 15 days and less than 20 days after the Pope’s death.
Around 60 cardiacs of Rome, already all ages, met on Tuesday to select the date of the funeral in the so-called “general congregation.”
A second meeting is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, led by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo, who is accused of carrying out daily operations at the Holy See before Francis’ successor was chosen.
Francis’ death came less than a month after being discharged from the hospital. There, I spent five weeks with pneumonia in both lungs.
Despite doctors seeking two months of rest, Francis continued to appear in public during his recovery period.
On Easter Sunday, the day before his death, he circled St. Peter’s Square with his “popemovie” to greet the crowd following Mass and his traditional speech, stopping kissing the baby along the way.
He passed away at 7:35am the following morning after suffering from stroke, coma and heart failure, according to his death certificate.
Hernandez Olivo, sister of Mexico, Maria Guadeloupe, said it was “very difficult, very sad” to hear the news of his death.
“I wasn’t expecting that,” she told AFP in St. Peters Square. “I believe he is in a better place and is no longer struggling, but I feel this emptiness in our pastor.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published by Syndicate Feed.)
