Accompanied by dozens of cardinals and members of the Swiss Guard, the body of Pope Francis arrived this morning, Wednesday, at St. Peter’s Basilica, where Catholics will have the chance to pay their last respects before a grand funeral ceremony next Saturday, attended by many world leaders.
To the sound of mourning bells, the coffin of the Argentine pope, who passed away on Monday at the age of 88, was transported from the modest Church of Santa Marta, where he had lived since his election as pontiff in 2013 until his death, to the majestic basilica crowned with a dome designed by Michelangelo.
The procession moved slowly through the narrow streets of Vatican City, the smallest country in the world, accompanied by hymns echoing from the Sistine Chapel.
Members of the Vatican’s ceremonial team, dressed in dark attire and surrounded by eight Swiss Guards, carried the coffin.
The pope was dressed in a red robe, wearing a white episcopal mitre and holding a rosary in his hands.
The coffin was placed on the main altar of the basilica, but not displayed on a platform, per the explicit request of Jorge Bergoglio, who recommended simple and modest funeral rites, departing from the traditional practices of popes.
“A Good Man”
Catholic followers will have the opportunity to bid farewell to Pope Francis over the course of three days; since dawn on this Wednesday, hundreds began to flock to St. Peter’s Square to be among the first to enter the grand basilica.
Among them was 33-year-old Mexican student Ana Montoya, who resides in Rome. She told AFP that she considered Pope Francis to be "a member of the family," stating, "I had to come. I feel that I know him; he was a good man."
Tens of thousands of Catholic Christians are expected to pay their last tribute. When his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, passed away on December 31, 2022, 200,000 people lined up to see his body before his burial in a ceremony attended by 50,000.
To manage the flow of visitors, authorities implemented several measures, including setting up metal barriers to contain the numbers, distributing water bottles, increasing the number of buses to the Vatican, and enhancing security measures at the access points to St. Peter’s Square leading to the basilica.
World Leaders
The funeral for Pope Francis will take place next Saturday morning in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City, with a massive attendance expected to reach hundreds of thousands of worshippers.
As was the case during the funeral of John Paul II in 2005, dozens of heads of state and royal figures will attend the ceremony, amid tight security measures.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced he would be attending with his wife Melania, despite the pope’s strong and repeated criticisms of his anti-immigration policies.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will also be there. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, does not plan to attend.
Other leaders participating in the funeral will include Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, António Costa, President of the European Council, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.
Also attending will be King Felipe VI of Spain and Queen Letizia, together with Prince Albert II of Monaco and his wife Charlene.
At the conclusion of the mass, which begins at 10:00 AM local time (8:00 AM GMT), the coffin will be transferred to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in central Rome, where the pope will be buried as per his wish mentioned in his will.
Italy has declared a national mourning period lasting five days, ending on Saturday, while Poland has declared Saturday a national day of mourning.
“No Longer Suffering”
Hundreds of journalists from around the world have arrived in Rome, where Italian police enforced a security cordon around St. Peter’s Square to control the entry of tourists and Catholics. The Vatican’s yellow and blue flags were flown at half-mast, and a prayer service was held in St. Peter’s Square on Tuesday evening.
Mexican nun Maria Guadalupe Hernández Olivo stated in the square that the pope’s death was a “very harsh” shock for her, even though he is now “in a better place and is no longer suffering,” adding, “Only God knows who will succeed him.”
On Tuesday, the Vatican’s website reported that the first signs of sudden fatigue appeared on the pope at around 5:35 AM (3:35 AM GMT), less than 24 hours after he greeted crowds of Catholics in St. Peter’s Square on the occasion of Easter.
Before falling into a coma around 6:30 AM, he waved goodbye to his personal assistant Massimiliano Strappiti, then lay down on his bed on the second floor of the Casa Santa Marta, slipping into a complete coma before his death was announced at 7:35 AM on Monday.
The pontiff, who left the hospital on March 23, had increased his public appearances in recent days, despite doctors’ recommendations for him to rest for two months. He appeared visibly exhausted during the Easter celebrations on Sunday, yet insisted on greeting the crowds from his "Pope Mobile" in St. Peter’s Square.
