(NewsNation) — The doors of St. Peter’s Basilica are open, and public visitation has begun in Vatican City.
Thousands of faithful lined up Wednesday for the opportunity to say a final farewell to Pope Francis, whose body will lie in state at the basilica until his Saturday burial. Francis died Monday at 88.
The basilica will be kept open until midnight on Wednesday and Thursday to allow the faithful to mourn. The public mourning period will end Friday at 7 p.m. local time.
Francis’ simple wooden casket was transferred from the Domus Santa Marta hotel, where he lived and died, early Wednesday morning.
A procession of cardinals, bishops and Swiss Guards carried Francis’ body through the same piazza from which he made his last public appearance on Easter Sunday.
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The ceremony with Pope Francis’ body, which will lie in state at St. Peter’s Basilica for three days, passes through the crowd at the Vatican on April 23. (Photo by -
The coffin with the deceased Pope Francis is carried from the Chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae to the Basilica of Saint Peter. -
The ceremony with Pope Francis’ body, who lies in state at St. Peter’s Basilica for three days, passes through the crowd at the Vatican on April 23. -
A cleaner mops between pews as a picture of Pope Francis is displayed inside Church of the Little Flower on April 21 in Coral Gables, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) -
Candles and rosaries for Pope Francis are seen in front of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, in Rome, on March 18. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Mourners traveled from around the globe to attend the public viewing, and thousands of attendees filled the basilica’s central aisle as it opened.
“He’s like a member of the family, isn’t he? Somebody very close to our hearts,” one mourner told NewsNation.
Another said Francis was a “model of sanctity … of holiness” for Catholics everywhere.
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 sat behind a cordon — some holding their cellphones aloft as they neared to snap photos in what has become a modern ritual.
Pope Francis’ funeral, conclave plans
Cardinals, meanwhile, met in private to finalize preparations for Saturday’s funeral and plan the conclave to elect Francis’ successor.
Francis will be laid to rest at the Basilica of St. Mary Major outside the Vatican on Saturday, following a 4 a.m. EDT service in St. Peter’s Square.
Typically, the process to select a successor begins 15 to 20 days after a pope’s passing.
The formal process, called a conclave, involves Catholic cardinals gathering in a closed room or hall to vote on who should be the next pope, according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Only cardinals under the age of 80 are allowed to participate in the secretive, anonymous vote.
You can watch Saturday’s funeral on NewsNation’s site and app. Not sure how to watch NewsNation? Find your channel here.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
