Livevideo: tens of thousands of people, in line to say goodbye to Pope Francis. Pilgrimage to the Vatican, at the Basilica of Saint Peter
The queue of pilgrims from St. Peter Potru Petru: Alessandra Tarantino / AP / Profimedia
Thursday morning, the tail to see the pope, which is in an open coffin, stretched from Saint Peter's Square to the bottom of the street, the longest queue has become since his body was moved on Wednesday to be deposited in the coffin, reports the BBC.
The entrance to the Vatican church should have stopped at midnight, but the program was extended to receive the big crowds that stand in line. People could enter until 5.30, then the basilica was closed for an hour and a half, before reopening to receive the pilgrims.
The tail was so big that some people were discouraged and left. “It lasted about five to six hours, so we left and we will come back,” said Catherine, who came from Birmingham, the UK, to the Vatican.
Over 50,000 people have been in line in the last 24 hours to say goodbye to Pope Francis, according to the Vatican.
On Wednesday, inside the Cathedral of St. Peter, the atmosphere was quiet and solemn, while some people knelt and prayed before passing slowly.
“I think the Pope was an extraordinary man, so I wanted to see him,” 13 -year -old told Edoardo, who was waiting after midnight with his parents. “I'm very sorry. But I think it may enjoy the sky.”
Luis and Macarena, from Mexico, had come to Rome in the honeymoon and hoped to see the pope for a special blessing. “Pope Francis is a saint and will bless us from heaven,” Luis said.
Mary Ellen, an American living in Italy, said she came to the Vatican with a night train to “say good.”
“I love Pope Francesco,” she said. “It's humble, good, he loves immigrants. I know he has endured a lot of difficult things at the Vatican. He fought against the Vatican's power and power to be a true Christian, a true Catholic.”
The pope's body will remain in the church until Friday evening, when his coffin will be sealed during a liturgical ritual at 8:00 pm, the Vatican said.
The ceremony will be supervised by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who is the “Camerlengo” of the Pope, more precisely the one who runs the Vatican until the choice of a new pope.
