Hours of queuing under the Roman sun to bid farewell to Pope Francis

RomeThousands of people have begun to access the funeral chapel installed in the Basilica of Sant Pere this Wednesday. to say a final farewell to Pope Francis. died on Monday at the age of 88, was transferred this morning from the chapel of his residence to the Casa Santa Marta, the hotel for religious where he has resided since his election in 2013. Francis now rests in a simple wooden coffin, covered in zinc and red velvet. No catafalque or embalming, no friezes or embroidery. It was the last wish of the Argentine pontiff, who wanted a sober farewell.

The remains of the pontiff, carried on the shoulders of papal bearers and escorted by the Swiss Guard, were taken to the Vatican Basilica in a solemn procession that went through the Plaza de Santa Marta, the Plaza de los Protomartirs Romans, and through the faithful who had been waiting for hours at the doors of the basilica, receiving him with applause.

The open coffin was placed at 9:30 a.m. in front of the imposing Baroque baldachin of the basilica, in front of the tomb of St. Peter and in front of Bernini's imposing baldachin; with the rosary in their hands and the red chasuble. Meanwhile, inside the basilica, the bishops and cardinals, as well as the Vatican staff, took their places to listen to the Liturgy of the Word officiated by the Cardinal Camerlengo, Kevin Farrell.

Before opening the funeral chapel to the public, the Cardinal Camerlengo threw holy water on the coffin of Francis and spoke to those present according to the dispositions of theOrdo exsequiarum romani pontificals which the Argentine pontiff himself modified: "With great emotion we accompany the remains of our beloved Pope Francis from this chapel to the Vatican Basilica, where he exercised his ministry as bishop of the Church of Rome and apostle of the universal Church."

The 'enfant terrible' friend of the Pope

As the cardinals present in Rome and Francis' closest collaborators, such as his personal nurse, Massimo Strappetti, said their final farewells to Francis one by one, a small woman, carrying a backpack, broke protocol and discreetly slipped into the front row to pray before the coffin. It was Geneviève Jeanningros, an 81-year-old nun belonging to the Little Sisters of Jesus order, who was a close friend of the Pope.

Always committed to the most disadvantaged in Rome, the French nun, niece of another nun murdered during the Argentine dictatorship, has dedicated herself for more than half a century to helping transgender women, prostitutes, and circus workers in various towns along the Roman coast.

In 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, she persuaded the pontiff, through the Vatican almoner, to send aid to this community that was unable to work. And several months later, she accompanied two prostitutes to a Wednesday audience at the Vatican so they could meet the pope. The pontiff rightly referred to it as "enfant terrible".

Outside St. Peter's Basilica, thousands of people waited in lines of up to four hours for their turn to enter and greet the Argentine pontiff for the last time. With respectful silence, the faithful entered through the Holy Door and headed towards the central nave in an orderly manner." their respects to Francis; a quick greeting and then the next thing will happen.

One was the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni. commented on the exit.

The authorities are on alert due to the influx

The Vatican estimates that nearly 20,000 people had attended by nightfall and is already considering extending the funeral service hours beyond midnight.

The day before the funeral service opened, at least 50,000 people had attended Piazza Sant'Pere, and around 100,000 had gathered in the surrounding area, according to official figures from the Italian Interior Ministry. Italian authorities estimate that the number of people will increase as the funeral date approaches, which will be held on Saturday. More than 200,000 faithful are expected to attend the burial, as well as between 150 and 170 foreign delegations, with numerous heads of state and government already confirmed to attend.

In response to the expected human influx, Italian authorities have launched a maximum security operation that will deploy around 4,000 security agents in Rome—including police, carabinieri, and financial security guards—and will extend a no-fly zone.