Thousands of mourners are expected to file past the body of the late Pope Francis as his official lying in state begins in the Vatican today.
For the next three days St Peter’s Basilica will open at 7am each morning and close at midnight to allow as many people as possible to file past.
The final day of lying in state will end at 7pm so that St Peter’s can be prepared for his funeral Mass on Saturday which will be attended by high profile VIPs including Prince William, Sir Kier Starmer and Donald Trump.
Catholic cardinals this morning performed the ritual ceremony to transfer Francis’ body from his home in the Vatican hotel to St. Peter’s.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who is running the Vatican administration until a new pope is elected, presided over the solemn ceremony in the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta hotel where Francis lived.
A choir sang as cardinals in their red cassocks and capes stood in prayer.
Francis’ casket was flanked by four Swiss Guards standing at attention. Outside, priests carrying long candles waited to lead the procession, Swiss Guards at their side, into the basilica.
Outside, ordinary faithful filled St. Peter´s Square to watch the procession enter the basilica.
The procession will then pass through the Piazza Santa Marta and the Piazza dei Protomartiri before entering St Peter’s square through the Arch of Bells.
Once there the coffin will then enter through the central doors of St Peter’s and once it has been gently placed by the Altar of the Confession Cardinal Farrell will give a short reading.
The Pope’s body will be brought from the chapel of Santa Marta where he has been lying since his death on Monday, in a solemn procession
Vatican Camerlengo Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the man temporarily in charge of the Roman Catholic Church until the next Pope is elected, marked the start of the procession with prayer
Faithful sit outside the Basilica at St Peter’s Square before the body of Pope Francis is transferred on April 22, 2025 in Vatican City
Nuns wait on the day of the translation of Pope Francis’ coffin, which will be transported inside the Basilica, at the Vatican, April 23, 2025
Crowds began gathering in St. Peter’s Square just before 7am so they could be among the first to enter the basilica when the official lying in state begins at 11am.
Those wanting to file past the coffin have been told to expect a long wait and come prepared with water and snacks.
When Pope John Paul II died in 2005 more than four million people attended his lying in state and later funeral. Officials expect similar numbers for Francis.
Pallets of water bottles have been stockpiled along the main Via della Conciliazione, which leads to St. Peter’s, and first aid tents have also been set up.
Italian police have tightened security for the viewing and the funeral, carrying out foot and horse patrols around the Vatican, where pilgrims continued to arrive for the Holy Year celebrations that Francis opened in December.
The faithful who walk through St. Peter’s Holy Door are granted indulgences, a way to help atone for sins.
Metal detectors have also been installed at various key points and sharp shooters will be positioned on rooftops for Saturday’s funeral.
People queue on the day of the translation of Pope Francis’ body, which will be transported inside the Saint Peter’s Basilica today
Images released by the Vatican on Tuesday showed Francis lying in an open casket, wearing the traditional pointed headdress of bishops and red robes, his hands folded over a rosary
Ahead of his lying in state the pontiff’s body was embalmed and given a touch of make up.
Francis first laid in state in the Santa Marta Domus in a private viewing for Vatican residents and the papal household.
Images released by the Vatican on Tuesday showed Francis lying in an open casket, wearing the traditional pointed headdress of bishops and red robes, his hands folded over a rosary.
The Vatican’s No. 2, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, was pictured praying by Francis.
Cardinals are continuing their meetings this week to plan the conclave to elect Francis’ successor, make other decisions about running the Catholic Church as world leaders and the ordinary faithful grieve the pontiff’s death.
History’s first Latin American pontiff charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor but alienated many conservatives with critiques of capitalism and climate change.
He last appeared in public on Sunday with an Easter blessing and popemobile tour through a cheering crowd in St. Peter’s Square.
He had some reservations about looping through the square packed with 50,000 faithful, Vatican News reported on Tuesday, but overcame them – and was thankful that he had greeted the crowd. He died the next morning.
