Vatican City, Apr 24 (EFE).- Nearly 50,000 people have filed past the coffin of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Basilica as of Thursday morning, the second of three days of lying in state before his funeral.
A total of 48,600 people have paid their respects to the pontiff, who died Monday after suffering a stroke and cardiac arrest at the age of 88, and have passed through the chapel of rest since its opening at 11 am local time (09:00 GMT) on Wednesday to 8.30 am Thursday, according to Vatican media.
Given the large numbers of faithful, the Holy See extended the basilica’s opening to the public. It remained open until 5.30 am Thursday morning, closing only to allow for reorganization and cleaning, and reopening at 7am.
During the night, from midnight until 5.30 am, 13,000 people paid tribute to the pontiff.
The flow of people filing past Francis’ coffin is constant, and by early morning, thousands of people were waiting in lines that stretched to areas surrounding the Vatican, amid strict police and Civil Protection controls.
Although the scheduled closing time for Wednesday, the first day, was midnight, it was decided to leave the basilica open to cater to the faithful who had waited in line for up to three hours to enter and pay their respects to the Argentine pontiff.
On Friday, visiting will end at 7pm for the rite of the closing of the coffin ahead of Saturday’s funeral.
Francis lies in an open wooden casket, without the traditional catafalque, on a platform almost at ground level, at the Altar of Confession and above the tomb of St. Peter at the foot of Bernini’s baldachin.
On Saturday, after the funeral, his body will be taken to the Roman Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore for burial in a chapel, as the pontiff had wished during his lifetime, given his deep devotion to the Virgin Mary. EFE
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