Pope Francis has been one of the most beloved Popes, and Christians are flocking to bid him a final farewell. So much so that the St. Peter's Basilica, where the Argentine's lying in state has been set up, remained open until 5:30 a.m. Over 50,000 people have already bid farewell to the Holy Father.
Although the scheduled closing time was midnight, it was decided to leave the Vatican basilica open to allow the faithful who had waited in line for up to 3 hours to enter and pay homage to the pontiff, who passed away on Monday at the age of 88. The temple closed only to allow for reorganization and cleaning tasks, reopening at 7:00 a.m. due to the large number of faithful
The lying in state will continue until Friday night, and on Saturday, a State funeral will be held with the attendance of presidents such as Donald Trump, Javier Milei, and Lula da Silva, as well as King Felipe VI and the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres.
Around 50 heads of state and ten kings will attend the pope's funeral, according to the Vatican
Around fifty heads of state or government and ten kings will attend the funeral of Pope Francis next Saturday in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, as confirmed by the Holy See on Thursday. The Protocol Office of the Vatican's Secretariat of State has confirmed that "at the moment" the delegations participating in the solemn funeral amount to 130. Of these, fifty will be led by heads of state or government, and ten will be "reigning sovereigns," kings.
Among the confirmed attendees are the President of the United States, Donald Trump; the President of Argentina, Javier Milei, the native country of the pontiff; the President of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, and the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. In addition to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and many other European and world representatives.
The Pope's last gift was a statue of the Virgin of Luján to the Catholic University
Before his death, Francis left a statue of the Virgin of Luján, the patroness of Argentina, as a final gift to the rector of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Elena Beccalli, an institution linked to the Gemelli Hospital in Rome, where he was hospitalized for 38 days. Beccalli received this gift by surprise when she went to pay homage to the Supreme Pontiff at the Vatican's Santa Marta residence, where Francis lived and passed away on Monday, according to Italian media.
As an Argentine, Francis had a strong attachment and devotion to this virgin, also known as Our Lady of Luján, venerated in the Luján Sanctuary, located 70 kilometers from Buenos Aires. This close bond with this Marian symbol was widely known and evidenced in moments like 2020, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, when he sent a message to the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Mercedes Luján, Jorge Eduardo Scheining, and showed his closeness to the virgin.
113 cardinals participated on Thursday morning in the third General Congregation
The 113 cardinals present in Rome held their third General Congregation on Thursday and began the dialogue on the Church and the world after the death of Pope Francis on April 23 at the age of 88. According to Vatican News, Matteo Bruni, the director of the Holy See Press Office, explained that 113 cardinals attended the third Congregation prior to the conclave that will elect the new Pontiff, held in the Synod Hall of the Vatican. It began at 9:00 a.m. with a prayer and ended at 12:00 p.m., including a half-hour break.
The cardinals who had not yet done so took an oath, as required by the apostolic constitution Universi Dominici Gregis, followed by 34 interventions. Additionally, the cardinals decided that Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández will celebrate the Mass of the sixth day of the Novemdiales, instead of the Camerlengo, Cardinal Kevin Farrell.
They also agreed that Father Donato Ogliari, abbot of the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, will give the first meditation on Monday, and Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, the emeritus preacher of the Pontifical Household, will give the second at the beginning of the conclave, whose start date has not yet been decided. During the meeting, the cardinals read the first 23 paragraphs of 'Universi Dominici Gregis' and then began a conversation about the Church and the world.
The chapel where the Pope will be buried is almost ready
The chapel that will house the tomb of Pope Francis in the Roman basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore is almost ready, and on Thursday, a group of workers were busy with the preparations for his burial on Saturday. The Supreme Pontiff, who passed away on Monday at the age of 88, chose this ancient Roman basilica for his tomb, which houses one of his favorite virgins, the 'Salus Populi Romani,' instead of the crypt of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican where some of his predecessors lie.
Specifically, the place he arranged is the Paolina Chapel, located between the 'Salus Populi Romani' and the Sforza dynasty, in the left nave of the temple, a few steps from the altar. Access to the Paolina Chapel has been covered with a wooden fence for days, but it allows electric light and shadows of workers to be seen through its cracks. Additionally, the entire area has been cordoned off to prevent onlookers as on Thursday, dozens of people came to take some photos of what will be the Pope's tomb or simply to look around.
After the Pope's funeral, the funeral procession will travel through the streets of Rome, and the burial will be private
The funeral procession of Pope Francis will travel through the streets of Rome to the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore for his burial in a vehicle, but "at a walking pace", the Vatican press office reported on Thursday. Although the route that the coffin will take after the funeral mass in St. Peter's Square to the Roman basilica has not yet been determined, it was announced that the procession will move slowly so that Romans and the faithful can witness the passage of the coffin. The type of vehicle for the transfer has not yet been decided as all these details are being coordinated with the Italian authorities.
The head of the Italian Civil Protection, Fabio Ciciliano, warned on Thursday at a press conference about the complexity of transferring the coffin from St. Peter's to the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, as the Argentine pontiff had arranged in his lifetime. Precisely, this transfer is the part that most concerns Civil Protection, as acknowledged by its head in a press conference, as it presents significant logistical and infrastructure challenges.
"I remember that the burial ceremony will be a private ceremony, while immediately afterwards, the faithful will be given the opportunity to come to the side of His Holiness, and obviously the sustained concentration of the faithful must be taken into great consideration," Ciciliano pointed out.
A group of poor and migrant people will participate in the Pope's funeral and burial on Saturday
The Vatican press office announced on Thursday that "a group of poor and needy people will be present on the steps leading to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore to pay their last respects to the Pope" before the burial of Pope Francis in that temple, which will take place on the morning of April 26.
The Vatican justified this decision because "the poor have a special place in the heart of the Holy Father, who chose the name Francis to never forget them," in reference to Saint Francis of Assisi, the saint of the poor. Since choosing that name, Jorge Mario Bergoglio has recalled on numerous occasions the advice given to him by another cardinal when he said, "do not forget the poor." On Saturday, among the delegation of poor people on the steps of Santa Maria Maggiore, as confirmed by Servimedia, there will be benefactors and people who collaborate with Hogares Lázaro in Spain, a project based on living in fraternity among vulnerable individuals, youth, and families. This project aims to provide an opportunity to the "existential peripheries" referred to by Francis. Also participating in the pontiff's funeral will be a group of migrants and refugees who will attend Francis' funeral on Saturday morning in St. Peter's Square, announced the NGO Mediterranea, whose members met with the pontiff on several occasions and received confirmation of their participation from the Holy See.