According to a decision by the Holy See, St. Peter’s Square closed today at 5 p.m. local time, as thousands of faithful remained in line under the sun, waiting to pay their respects to the late pontiff.
The Basilica of St. Peter is scheduled to close at 7 p.m., with access to the queue permitted only until 6 p.m. By midday, more than 150,000 pilgrims had already venerated the body of the Holy Father of the Catholic Church.
At 8 p.m., the coffin of the “Pope of the Poor” will be officially closed. The ceremony will take place without the presence of photographers and cameramen/camerawomen, as it is considered a private and solemn moment.
Tomorrow’s procession, which will accompany the coffin of the Argentine pope, is expected to last approximately half an hour, leading from St. Peter’s Basilica to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. Meanwhile, a last-minute intervention may lead to the decision to inscribe Pope Francis’ name, “Franciscus,” more prominently on the marble tombstone, as the current engraving is reportedly too faint to be clearly visible.
On Sunday afternoon, all the cardinals of the Catholic Church are scheduled to gather at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore to pray before the tomb of the first Latin American pontiff in history.
Source: ANA-MPA, Translated by: Konstantinos Menyktas
