TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Thousands gathered on Thursday, April 24, 2025, to pay their respects to Pope Francis on the second day of public mourning. According to Al Arabiya, St. Peter’s Basilica remained open nearly all night to accommodate the crowds.
With wait times reaching up to four hours, the Vatican reported that approximately 48,600 people had viewed the late pontiff’s casket by Thursday morning. The casket was lined with red-striped wood.
The public tribute began on Wednesday, and instead of closing at midnight as planned, the basilica stayed open until 05:30 AM. It reopened again at 07:00 AM.
By Thursday morning, the line stretched past two entrance gates in St. Peter’s Square, where 82-year-old Amerigo Iacovacci was among those waiting patiently.
"I’m here because of the great faith that unites me with Pope Francis," said the resident of Rome.
"He was a great man, he was the father of the least fortunate, of the invisible."
Francis passed away on Monday after 12 years of leading 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide, during which time he made a name for himself as a pope for the marginalized.
Italy is preparing for a large-scale security operation for his funeral on Saturday, April 26, 2025 in front of St. Peter's Square.
World leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky will join hundreds of thousands of mourners.
'Sense of Peace'
Lined with red silk, the wooden casket of the Pope was placed in front of St. Peter's altar, with Francis wearing his papal vestments -- a red chasuble, white mitre, and black shoes -- with a rosary in his hand.
Each mourner was escorted past the casket in a matter of seconds, many hastily capturing the moment on their smartphones.
Federico Rueda, 46, from Argentina, said that despite being in a hurry, he would not miss the opportunity.
"It is worth missing out on other places to say goodbye to an Argentine: a very worthy pope," he said proudly wearing Argentina's current World Cup-winning national football team shirt.
Leobardo Guevara, 24, from Mexico, draped in his country's flag, said he felt a "sense of peace" as he walked past the first Pope's body from the American continent.
Francis, an energetic reformer who became Pope in 2013, passed away on Monday at the age of 88 after suffering a stroke.
His death at his residence in Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican came less than a month after he was discharged from the hospital following a five-week treatment for double pneumonia.
Francis' casket was initially on display for Vatican staff and priests at the Chapel of Santa Marta before being transferred to St. Peter's Basilica on Wednesday in a procession involving cardinals, priests, and the Swiss Guard.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was among those paying their respects on Wednesday, and several world leaders and high-ranking officials plan to attend the funeral.
They include Argentinian President Javier Milei and Prince William of England, although Russia -- which has had a centuries-old frosty relationship with the Vatican -- said it would send its culture minister.
Authorities, who anticipate up to 170 foreign delegations, have stepped up security for the funeral.
The Italian civil protection agency estimates that "several hundred thousand" people will come to Rome on the weekend, which has been designated a busy weekend due to a public holiday.
No Conclave Date Yet
After the funeral, Francis' casket will be taken to his favorite church, the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome.
His will requested to be buried in the ground, with his simple tomb marked with a single word: Franciscus.
After that, all eyes will be on the process of selecting Francis' successor.
Cardinals from around the world will return to Rome to attend the conclave, which will begin no fewer than 15 days and no more than 20 days after a pope's death.
Only those under the age of 80 -- currently around 135 cardinals -- are eligible to vote.
The cardinals have agreed that the traditional nine-day mourning for a pope, called the "novemdiales," will begin on Saturday and end on May 4.
A meeting of cardinals of all ages has been set for Thursday at 09:00 AM local time.
However, the Vatican has dismissed hopes for an announcement of the conclave date, insisting that its focus is on the funeral.
At the time of his death, Pope Francis had been instructed by doctors to rest for two months.
However, the stubborn Pope continued to appear in public despite looking tired and short of breath.
On Easter Sunday, a day before his passing, he toured St. Peter's Square in the Pope's car to greet the crowds, stopping to kiss babies along the way.
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