Entrance early in the Vatican, The second day of visits to the coffin ended Pope Francis In the Basilica of San Pedro. Between Wednesday and Thursday, more than 100,000 faithful came to say goodbye to Argentine and this Friday will be the last day of public visits Before the funeral, which will take place on Saturday from 10 in the morning of Italy (5:00 in Argentina).
This last day of the wake will be smaller. Due to the enormous number of faithful who went to give a last goodbye to the high pontiff, The schedule of the first two days extended at dawn (Initially it was planned to end at 0:00). The Basilica doors They only closed for a few hours during the night for cleaning tasks.
However, they advanced that the visits the Friday will end earlier, at 19:00, facing Saturday’s funeral.
The Vatican reported this afternoon that between Wednesday and 19:00 on Thursdaythe presence of more than 90,000 people in the Plaza de San Pedro. But the figure increased rapidly throughout the night, with rows that extended around without interruptions. At 18:00, the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, had already advanced that the 100,000 visitors were about to exceed.
On Wednesday, many of the faithful had to wait Between four and five hours to enter the Basilica. Near midnight, before the first day of the public wake ended, there were runs and the ranks disarmed before the fear of not being able to see the Holy Father after hours of waiting.
The Vatican prepares the funeral of Pope Francis: half a million people are expected
The funeral to say goodbye to Pope Francis It will take place this Saturday morning and a crowd is expected to attend the ceremony: they anticipated the presence of 500,000 people. In addition to the thousands of faithful around the world, 150 delegations will also participate, including leaders and presidents, such as the American Donald Trump and Argentine Javier Milei. In the last week, all flights and lodgings to Rome They sold out.
In the face of such a massive event, the Italian authorities already deployed a strong security operation that includes some 2,000 carabinerostogether with state police officers, Finance Guard and Local Police of Rome. The number of troops will increase to 4,000 for the key days of the funeral, between Friday 25 and Saturday, April 26.
Regarding the development of the ceremony, Francisco made some changes in the issues related to the coffin and some details, How to ask to be at the ground, in clear allusion to the austerity and humility of a poor church for the poor, Far from the great paraphernalias. Some of the changes were the exhibition of the coffin to the faithful without the catafalco and the elimination of the traditional three coffers of cypress, lead and oak.
The Vatican spread this morning the first image of the Pope Francis’s gravethat follows the wishes of the Pontiff, detailed in his will.
“The grave was performed in Liguria marble with the only registration ‘Franciscus’ and the reproduction of its pectoral cross. The grave was arranged in the niche of the side nave between the Paulina Chapel (Chapel of the Salus Populi Romani) and the Sforza Chapel of the Basilica of Santa María la Mayor. The grave is near the altar of San Francisco, “the Vatican spread.
Source: Ambito
