Mourners from all walks of life participated in a slow and steady procession through the main aisle of St. Peter’s Cathedral to pay their last respects to the late Pope Francis I, whose name will be forever associated with fostering “an atmosphere of inclusion and openness within the Catholic Church.”
Public farewell ceremonies are set to resume today, Thursday, following a large turnout yesterday that prompted the Vatican to consider extending visiting hours to accommodate the demand.
Rosa Scorbati, who was leaving the cathedral with her three children, said, “We came because we couldn’t bring them to see him while he was alive, so we thought it fitting to say goodbye one last time.” She added, “They were quiet, but I don’t think they truly understood what was happening; they haven’t yet experienced the taste of loss.”
Like many others, the Scorbati family from Calabria was spending their Easter holiday in Rome when they received the news of Pope Francis’ death last Monday morning.
By last night, Wednesday, the waiting time was expected to reach three or four hours as the numbers continued to grow, with one crowd management official suggesting that the wait could extend to five hours.
A funeral mass is scheduled to be held three days after the public display of the body concludes, on Saturday, in St. Peter’s Square, attended by heads of state, governments, and prominent figures, before the Pope is laid to rest in a crypt within the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.
