Tens of thousands of mourners filed into St. Peter’s Basilica on Friday to pay final respects to Pope Francis ahead of his funeral on Saturday.
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Long queues snaked around St. Peter’s Square and the surrounding roads, before being funnelled through the heart of the basilica in a single column leading to the central altar, where Francis’ open-topped coffin was displayed on a dais.
The basilica was open for most of Thursday evening into Friday morning, shutting its doors for only three hours overnight.
The body of the 88-year-old pope, who died on Monday in his rooms at the Vatican’s Santa Marta guest house after suffering a stroke, was brought to St. Peter’s in a solemn procession on Wednesday.
Since then, about 150,000 people from all over the world have bid farewell to the pontiff, the Vatican said.
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“It’s a very strong feeling (to be here),” said Patricio Castriota, a visitor who, like the pope, is from Argentina. “This farewell was very sad, but I thank God that I was able to see him”.