The body of Pope Francis was transferred to St Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday, where he will lie in state for three days ahead of his funeral on Saturday.
A solemn procession carried the pontiff’s coffin through the central door of the basilica — the same entrance he used to greet the faithful on Easter Sunday, his final public appearance before his death.
Thousands of mourners are expected to file through the Vatican over the coming days to pay their final respects.
Pope Francis broke with tradition by simplifying the papal funeral rites and choosing to buried not in the Vatican grottoes but in the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major, where he frequently prayed.
In several interviews, Pope Francis expressed his wish to be buried “with dignity, but like any Christian.”
“Pope Francis has requested a more sober, less monarchic funeral,” Vatican expert Father Antonio Pelayo told Euronews.
“He has given up many of the traditional elements to present the image of someone who is the pope, but not a king.”
Pope Francis consolidated existing and updated rules in the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis — the Order of Funeral Rites for a Roman Pontiff — approved on 29 April 2024.
This builds on the 1969 edition, which was already reinforced during the funerals of Paul VI and John Paul I in 1978, and later for John Paul II and Benedict XVI, in order to allow greater public participation.
The liturgy, while updated, preserves the Church’s traditions of entrusting the Bishop of Rome to God and ensuring an orderly transition of authority.
Vatican officials said preparations are under way for Saturday’s funeral, which is expected to draw religious and political leaders from around the world, as well as thousands of faithful.
“I think it’s a way to pay respect to a person who has shaped the Catholic Church. But also I would say, a significant person in the whole world,” said one of the visitors to the Vatican on Wednesday.
“As a voice in this very complex world that we are living in. It has been a clear voice, advocating for truth and for justice.”
“It’s the final goodbye,” another visitor said. “I get emotional every time I see Pope Francis.”
“It’s something I feel deeply, his simplicity,” she concluded.
