Catholics from around the world are expected to queue to see Pope Francis lying in state at St Peter’s Basilica while cardinals are at the Vatican and have had their first meeting since his death
The eyes of the world have turned towards this famous square in Rome, to St Peter’s Basilica where the Holy Father will lie in state, and to the conclave of men who will decide the future of the Church.
But it is the women who seemed yesterday to embody the spirit and the emotion felt by millions of Catholics around the world at the death of the Pope. The nuns who walk the famous cobbles, clutching rosary beads, their varied habits signifying the humility, purity, poverty or devotion most cherished by their order. And then in contrast there is the bustle, the noise and the chaos of thousands of tourists, worshippers, locals and the international media swarming into the Vatican.
But even amid the sadness at a revered figure’s passing, practical decisions have to be made. With Catholics from all over the world expected to queue for access to St Peter’s Basilica to see the Pope lying in state, cardinals yesterday morning filed into the Vatican for their first meeting since the Pope’s death a little more than 24 hours earlier.
These are men well used to organisation as well as more spiritual matters and their first decision – when the Holy Father’s funeral will take place – was managed in just over an hour.
The funeral has been scheduled for 10am on Saturday at the Vatican. Francis will be buried at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in central Rome.
The conclave to elect a new Pope should begin no fewer than 15 and no more than 20 days after the death, and this first meeting was the first step towards that secretive gathering. The cogs of this historic process, refined over centuries, are well and truly turning.
With emotional prayers heard in St Peter’s Square each night in Francis’s memory, it feels almost too soon. But this is how the Vatican deals with such bereavements.
Scaffolding providing huge platforms that will stage TV broadcasters from around the world is being built, portable toilets have been installed and mini-prefabs are being prepared for the massive media presence.
The grief is global – mourners have been photographed all over the world, including in East Timor and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. For tourists, it is a sorrowful but undeniably interesting time to be visiting.
Dutch couple Ella Voogt and Arjan Emmens, both 51, were on a day visit from Tuscany. They watched in bewilderment at the growing crowds and marvelled at the mixed senses of occasion and grief in the atmosphere. “Intense is the word, I think,” said Ella. “It’s a strange but a very special moment to be here in Rome,” added Arjan.
“This is history. I cannot imagine what it will look like tomorrow.” A visitor who gave her name only as Grace, 33, who lives in Ireland, is on holiday with her sister Gift, 36. Gift flew from their native Tanzania to meet Grace in Rome for Easter, and both were shocked by the situation they found.
“Yesterday we just came straight out of the Airbnb, we hadn’t seen any news so we had no idea what had happened,” said Grace. “Then we got a call saying the Pope had died. We couldn’t believe it.” Jostled by crowds, she added: “Today is already a lot busier than yesterday!”
The day after Easter Sunday, La Pasquetta, is a national holiday in Italy and is usually a day when Italians escape from cities to the countryside. Because of this break, there is a suggestion here that we can expect a surge of mourners soon. So today will be even busier as flocks of the faithful are drawn to bid Francis a final goodbye.
