A Devoted Crowd Honors Pope Francis for the Last Time

"Seeing him was deeply meaningful; his contributions to our lives were immense," shared a woman who patiently waited to pass by the beloved pontiff’s casket.

From the heart of Vatican City, the scene was one of solemnity and reverence.

St. Peter’s Basilica threw open its doors by 5:40 a.m. on Friday. Initially, a trickle of visitors began entering the grand space to pay their final respects to Pope Francis, resting in the simplicity of a wooden coffin under Michelangelo’s magnificent dome. As the hours passed, this trickle swelled into a river of thousands, keen to honor him on this last opportunity.

The funeral services for Francis are scheduled to occur on Saturday, after which he will find his final resting place across the city in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, a site he held in great esteem.

Round-the-clock access to St. Peter’s began when his body was transferred there from his residence at the Vatican guesthouse on Wednesday. By Friday morning at 8:00 a.m., the Vatican reported that 128,000 mourners had already made their pilgrimage.

Waiting times to view the coffin varied, sometimes stretching into several hours. Daniela Sirigu, a resident of Rome who came to pay her respects, noted, "The wait is justified by the love so many held for him." As she waited, she overheard a symphony of languages and Italian dialects. "Seeing him was deeply meaningful because he enriched us immensely," she commented.

Beyond the basilica’s walls, preparations were in full swing for the funeral. Security saw enhancements, and roads around the Vatican were sealed off in anticipation of 130 governmental delegations attending the event, including 50 state leaders and 10 monarchs, as announced by the Vatican on Thursday.

The streets of Vatican City were lined with volunteers in bright lime-green attire, civil protection officials, and Red Cross members adorned in red vests, positioned to address immediate needs or assist lost tourists. Garbage collectors observed a noticeable uptick in their workload as the crowds grew.