Thousands of people wait hours in the sun to see Pope Francis' corpse

Pope Francescu died at his home in Casa Santa Marta on Monday, 88-year-old after a stroke attack and heart failure. He was recovering from double pneumonia, which had left him in hospital for five weeks, reports the paper. “The Guardian”, broadcast Periscope.

Unlike most ancestors, his coffin, which two Swiss guards are guarding, has not been erected on a platform. That was one of the rules abolished by Pope Francis, when last year he simplified the rules for pope funerals.

Messengers of people called at St. Peters Basilica to pay attention to Pope Francis, who will lie in state for three days ahead of his funeral on Saturn. Pilgrims destroyed from across the world for a final glimpse of the lady pontiff. Pic.twitter. com/ Mq DdfP9kWb

) Al Jazeera English (@ AJyglis) April 23, 2025

His funeral mass will be held Saturday morning at St. Peter's Square, in which various world leaders -- including American President Donald Trump -- and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer -- will participate. The Pope will then be buried in Basilica “Santa Maria Maggiore” in Rome's Esquilino district, breaking a long Vatican tradition.

By Wednesday evening, a Vatican official said that nearly 20,000 people, from all parts of the world, were part of the crowd waiting in line, which lay along the road leading to Vatican City. Many were wearing umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun.

Prepared for the long wait, a woman named Abigail and her family from California and U.S. had brought food with them. We wait as long as you need. It's a privilege to be here” she said.

Although people were aware that Pope Francis was seriously ill, some who were waiting in line to respect him still had difficulty believing his death. “Sounds strange that he is no longer in” Piotr Grzkyk from Poland said. /Periscope/