Vatican keeps St. Peter’s open all night for public viewing of Pope Francis due to strong turnout

VATICAN CITY AP So multiple mourners lined up to see Pope Francis lying in state in a simple wooden coffin inside St Peter s Basilica that the Vatican kept the doors open all night due to higher-than-expected turnout closing the basilica for just an hour and a half Thursday morning for cleaning The basilica was bathed in a hushed silence as mourners from across the globe made a slow shuffling procession up the main aisle to pay their last respects to Francis who died Monday at age after a stroke The hours spent on line up the stately via della Conciliazione through St Peter s Square and through the Holy Door into the basilica has allowed mourners to find society around the Argentine pontiff s legacy of inclusion and humble persona Emiliano Fernandez a Catholic from Mexico was waiting in line around midnight and after two hours still had not reached the basilica I don t even care how much time I wait here It s just the opportunity to show how I admired Francisco in his life commented Fernandez whose admiration for the pope grew during his visit to Mexico Robert Healy a pilgrim from Ireland flew on the spur of the moment from Dublin just to pay his respects I think it s just really key to be here to show our respect to the Holy Father he revealed We flew from Dublin last night we re staying for one day home tonight then We just felt it was really vital to be here The last numbers circulated by the Vatican disclosed more than people had paid their respects by p m Thursday more than a day after opening The basilica closed for just a short time Thursday morning from about a m until until a m the planned opening time Among the first-day mourners was a church group of -year-olds from near Milan who arrived for the now-suspended canonization of the first millennial saint as well as a woman who prayed to the pope for a achieving operation and an Italian family who brought their small children to see the pope s body We came because we didn t bring them when he was alive so we thought we would bring them for a final farewell reported Rosa Scorpati who was exiting the basilica Wednesday with her three children in strollers They were good but I don t think they really understood because they haven t yet had to deal with death Like multiple others the Scorpati family from Calabria was in Rome on an Easter vacation only to be met with the news of Francis death on Easter Monday Out of devotion to the pope and his message of inclusion the grieving faithful joined the procession of mourners that wended from St Peter s Square through the basilica s Holy Door with the repentant among them winning an indulgence a form of atonement granted during the Jubilee Holy Year From there the line extended down the basilica s central aisle to the pope s simple wooden casket After three days of community viewing a funeral Mass including heads of state will be held Saturday in St Peter s Square The pope will then be buried in a niche within the St Mary Major Basilica near his favorite Madonna icon Defense Italian personnel have tightened assurance around the Vatican adding drones to foot and horse patrols to their controls along the Tiber River and Via della Conciliazione which leads to St Peter s Square to secure the area for mourners and foreign delegation expected for the funeral The Vatican declared delegations are verified including heads of state and reigning sovereigns Among those confirming their attendance are U S President Donald Trump with the First Lady Melania Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy The prefect of Rome Lamberto Giannini narrated a news conference on Thursday that I believe that the precaution machine is ready but will remain flexible and ready to reshape and above all transmit a sense of serenity Paying respects The death of Francis capped a -year pontificate characterized by his concern for the poor and his message of inclusion but he was also criticized by specific conservatives who felt alienated by his progressive outlook A procession of priests bishops and cardinals accompanied Francis body Wednesday on its journey from a private viewing inside the Vatican to St Peter s Square The pageantry contrasted with the human interactions of rank-and-file mourners at the citizens viewing Francis lay in state in an open casket perched on a ramp facing mourners with four Swiss Guards standing at attention As the crowd reached the casket plenty of lifted their smartphones to snap a photo One nun accompanying an elderly woman with a cane walked away sobbing My pope is gone Such despair was rare The mood was more one of gratitude for a pope who had by example taught a great number of people to open their minds I am very devoted to the pope revealed Ivenes Bianco who was in Rome from Brindisi Italy for an operation He was essential to me because he brought numerous people together by encouraging coexistence She cited Francis acceptance of the gay region and his insistence on helping the poor Humbeline Coroy came to Rome from Perpignan France for the planned canonization Sunday of -year-old Carlo Acutis which was suspended after the pope s death She stayed to pay respects to Francis enjoying exchanges with Japanese mourners they met as they waited under the sun in St Peter s Square For me it is a lot of things In my job I work with disabled children and I traveled to Madagascar to work with poor people Being here and close to the pope is a way of integrating these experiences and make them concrete she mentioned Cardinals convene Cardinals continued to arrive in Rome for Saturday s funeral and numbered by Thursday During a morning session the cardinals started a conversation on the church and the world the details of which remain private No sooner than May after nine days of official mourning cardinals under years of age will meet in a conclave to choose a new pope That number is expected to be after two cardinals declared they would not make it to Rome for soundness reasons We have not yet opened the Conclave and one feels that announced French Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco arriving for the cardinals meeting For the moment I do not believe the cardinals are saying who will be the next For the moment we are here comprehensively for Francis