The Vatican was seen opening the St Peter’s Basilica to the public so thousands of Catholic worshippers could pay their final respects to Pope Francis over the span of three days.
Flocks of mourners were seen filling the central aisle of the basilica this morning, with Swiss Guards standing at the center to see the body of the Pope lying in state.
There were nearly 20,000 mourners crowding the square outside. His coffin was in a simple wooden design and was positioned low in the ground at his request.
This broke the Vatican’s long-standing tradition of placing the popes on an elevated catafalque. The first members of the public have now started filing past the coffin, and some of them were seen crossing themselves or taking a short pause in prayer as they pay their respects.
The crowd was seen sharing all kinds of emotions, including grief and honor to be present to witness this event live, as it was a sign of great respect at such events.
Cardinals wearing red hats and candle-carrying friars were also seen, as well as Swiss Guards with helmets on. The late Pope suffered from a stroke before his body shut down, after spending nearly five weeks in the hospital due to a pneumonia infection.