Pope Francis: 250,000 people for the last farewell

After the closure of access to St Peter's Square shortly before 5pm, the crowds of faithful lined up towards St Peter's Basilica to pay their last respects to the body of Pope Francis. This was followed by the operations to close the coffin, which began at 8pm. Presiding over the rite was Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, Chamberlain of the Holy Roman Church. In addition to him and the Master of Liturgical Celebrations Msgr. Diego Ravelli, were Cardinals Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the Sacred College, Roger Michael Mahony, Cardinal Presbyter, Dominique Mamberti, Protodeacon, Mauro Gambetti, Archpriest of the Basilica, Pietro Parolin, former Secretary of State, Baldo Reina, Vicar for the Diocese of Rome, Konrad Krajewski, Almoner; Monsignors Edgar Peña Parra, Substitute, Ilson de Jesus Montanari, Vice Chamberlain, Leonardo Sapienza, Regent of the Papal Household; the canons of the Vatican Chapter, the Vatican minor penitentiaries, the Pope's secretaries and other persons admitted by the Master of Liturgical Celebrations.

From the morning of Wednesday 23 April at 11:00 until this evening at 19:00 some 250,000 people came to St Peter's Basilica to pay their respects to Pope Francis. This was announced by the Vatican Press Office.

Tomorrow, Saturday 26 April, at 10.00 a.m. the solemn funeral in St. Peter's Square, followed by the transfer along the streets of Rome to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, where burial will take place. The funeral procession from St. Peter's to Santa Maria Maggiore will not pass through St. Peter's Square. The cortege will exit through the Porta del Perugino and then follow the route indicated by the Questura. A journey time of one hour is envisaged. The funeral vehicle will allow the coffin to be seen. Strict security measures are planned: the funeral will be armoured.

The Pope's funeral cortege, of just a few cars with a few cardinals and some relatives, will proceed at a walking pace to allow everyone to pay their last respects. "We have calculated that it will take up to just over an hour to get to Santa Maria Maggiore, proceeding at between 5 and 10 kilometres per hour," prefect Lamberto Giannini said at the end of the provincial committee for public order and safety.

La mappa della Protezione Civile del percorso del funerale del Papa di domani 26 aprile 2025 (foto Ansa)

The long series of arrivals of delegations of government authorities and religious representatives who will take part in the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square tomorrow morning began in the early hours of the morning at Fiumicino airport. Also expected are the Cardinal elector of Ivory Coast, Ignace Bessi Dogbo, and the Cardinal elector of Haiti, Chibly Langlois. The long sequence of arrivals, some dozens, mostly expected at the State Ceremonial and others, more confidentially, in decentralised areas of the airport, is concentrated until late evening today, a few hours before the funeral in the Vatican. Among the delegations expected on the day are the one led by the President of Malta, Myriam Spiteri Debono, the Palestinian delegation with the Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority, Mohammad Mustafa, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Varsen Aghabekian, and from Taiwan the former Vice-President Chen Chien-jen; and also the Syrian Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, Ignatius Aphrem II, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I and the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of all Armenians, Karekin II. And then the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, the President of Moldova, Maia Sandu, the Crown Prince of Haakon Magnus of Norway and the Grand Duke Henry of Luxembourg. Also arriving in Rome were delegations from Colombia, Cape Verde, Seychelles, Latvia, Cuba, Ecuador, Venezuela, El Salvador and Peru.