Pope Francis’ coffin has arrived at St. Peter’s Basilica, where he will lie in state to allow the Catholic faithful to pay their respects before Saturday’s funeral that is expected to be attended by world leaders including US President Donald Trump.
Bells tolled slowly as the coffin entered the basilica at 9.30 a.m. local time (3.30 a.m. ET) Wednesday, while mourners in the piazza outside broke into applause.
The Litany of the Saints, a formal prayer of the Roman Catholic Church, is now underway at the basilica.
Wednesday’s procession began with Francis’ body being moved from the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta residence, where he lived during his papacy.
The coffin traveled through Piazza Santa Marta and the Piazza dei Protomartiri Romani, passing through the Arch of the Bells and into St. Peter’s Square, before entering St. Peter’s Basilica through the central door.
Before the procession, Camerlengo Kevin Farrell, the cardinal tasked with arranging the papal funeral and conclave, held a brief service in the chapel of Casa Santa Marta with a short antiphon, or chant, of hope.
“Let us thank the Lord for countless gifts that he bestowed on the Christian people through His servant Pope Francis,” the Camerlengo said in prayer.
“Let us ask him in his mercy and kindness to grant the late pope an eternal home in the kingdom of heaven and to comfort with celestial hope, the papal family, the church in Rome and the faithful throughout the world.”
Now at St. Peter’s Basilica, the Camerlengo will preside over a service, known at the Liturgy of the Word, that will allow attendees to pay their respects to the late pope.
The faithful will recite several religious verses, including psalm 22, “The Lord is my Shepherd,” during the service.
Attendees will also recite the Catholic customary prayers of the dead during the liturgy.
The service is expected to finish with the Marian Antiphon, a prayer to Jesus’s mother Mary.
At the conclusion of the service, the public will be able to pay their respects to the pope, whose body will lie in state at St Peter’s Basilica for three days.
For those who wish to visit the pope and pay their respects, the basilica will be open on Wednesday until midnight, on Thursday from 7 a.m. to midnight local time, and Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time.
After lying in state for three days, Francis’ funeral will begin at 10 a.m. local time (4 a.m. ET) Saturday – six days after his death. The last papal funeral – for Pope Benedict XVI in 2023 – was also held six days after his death.
The Vatican announced that Francis’ funeral will be held outside, in St. Peter’s Square. Previous papal funerals have also been held outside, with thousands of mourners filling the open space in front of the basilica.
A string of world leaders, including US President Donald Trump, have confirmed they will travel to the Vatican for the service. French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are among the major European leaders traveling to the Vatican.
Tens of thousands of others are expected to show up. About 50,000 people came to Benedict’s funeral in 2023, while around 300,000 attended John Paul’s in 2005.
Francis died of a stroke and heart failure on Easter Monday at the age of 88, the Vatican announced. He passed away at Casa Santa Marta, a guesthouse near St. Peter’s Basilica where Francis has lived since his election in 2013, according to the Vatican spokesperson.
Source: CNN
--Agencies
