Vatican City — Thousands of people began filing through St. Peter's Basilica to pay their final respects to Pope Francis on Wednesday at the start of three days of public viewing ahead of his funeral.
Throngs of the faithful made their way to the 16th century basilica's main altar where Francis' open wooden casket was perched, as Swiss Guards stood at attention. Over the coming days, tens of thousands of people are expected to pass through, and the Vatican said it may extend the viewer hours even longer due to high turnout. In the first 8 1/2 hours, 19,430 people paid their respects to the pope.
Members of the Swiss Guard stand next to the coffin containing Pope Francis' body, on the day of the translation of his body, in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on April 23, 2025.
Yara Nardi / REUTERS
Francis was laid out in red robes, clasping a rosary and wearing a bishop's miter, the traditional pointed headdress. Mourners waited hours to reach the casket, which was behind a cordon. Some held their cell phones aloft as they neared to snap photos in what has become a modern ritual.
"It gave me chills," said Ivenes Bianco, as she left. She was in Rome from the southern city of Brindisi for medical care, and came to pay her respects. "He was important to me because he encouraged co-existence. He brought many people together.''
The body of the pope was moved to St. Peter's early Wednesday to lie in state for the Catholic faithful to pay their respects to the Argentine pontiff remembered for his humble style, concern for the poor and insistent prayers for peace.
Pallbearers carried the simple wooden coffin on their shoulders through the Vatican's archway gates, out into St. Peter's Square and into the basilica, with a procession of cardinals in scarlet cassocks and Swiss Guards in their golden and blue uniforms slowly behind it.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who is running the Vatican temporarily until a new pope is elected, led the procession, with clouds of incense preceding him as the church choir began chanting the Litany of Saints hymn.
Francis' casket wasn't put on an elevated bier — as was the case with past popes — but placed on a ramp, facing the pews. It was in keeping with his wishes for the rituals surrounding a papal funeral to be simplified to reflect his belief that the pope's role is that of simple pastor, not world leader.
Cardinals, meanwhile, met in private to finalize preparations for Saturday's funeral and plan the conclave to elect Francis' successor.
Heads of state are expected for Francis' funeral Saturday in St. Peter's Square, but the three days of public viewing are largely for ordinary Catholics to grieve the 88-year-old pope, who died Monday after, the Vatican said, he had a stroke and heart failure.
Francis first lay in state in the Santa Marta Domus in a private viewing for Vatican residents and the papal household.
Images released by the Vatican on Tuesday showed Francis lying in an open coffin, wearing the traditional pointed headdress of bishops and red robes, his hands folded over a rosary. The Vatican's No. 2, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, was pictured praying by Francis.
His body was transferred from his residence at Casa Santa Marta, where he died. The coffin will be kept open until midnight on Wednesday and Thursday to allow the faithful to mourn. The public mourning period will end on Friday at 7 p.m.
Faithful pay respects as Pope Francis lies in state in St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, on April 23, 2025.
Guglielmo Mangiapane / REUTERS
Francis' coffin wasn't put on an elevated bier — as was the case with past popes — but was just placed on the main altar of the 16th-century basilica, simply facing the pews.
Italian police have tightened security for the viewing and the funeral, carrying out foot and horse patrols around the Vatican, where pilgrims continued to arrive for the Holy Year celebrations that Francis opened in December.
The funeral will be attended by leaders including President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The funeral Mass will be celebrated by the dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re. The papal funeral is broken down into three separate phases, or "stations." They are the preparation of the body, the viewing of the body, and then the burial.
Cardinals are continuing their meetings this week to plan the conclave to elect Francis' successor and make other decisions about running the Catholic Church as world leaders and the ordinary faithful grieve his death.
History's first Latin American pontiff charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor but alienated many conservatives with critiques of capitalism and climate change.
He last appeared in public on Sunday with an Easter blessing and popemobile tour through a cheering crowd in St. Peter's Square.
Church officials also shared some details about the pope's final hours, describing "a discreet death, almost sudden, without long suffering or public alarm."
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