The incessant farewell of the faithful to the body of Pope Francis continues. Access to the basilica was closed at 6:00 p.m. to allow the rite of closing the coffin to take place at 8:00 p.m.
The Vatican Basilica remained open until 2:30 am and reopened this morning at 5:40 am . The Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and the Pope's personal nurse, Massimiliano Strappetti, were seen praying for a long time near the coffin, next to Francis's people.
Meanwhile, the details for the funeral are being planned : even migrants tortured in Libyan concentration camps, refugees, prisoners on leave and homeless people will find a place during the rite, as desired by the Pope who has always been on the side of the least fortunate.
And then the world leaders with 130 confirmed delegations, including approximately 50 heads of state and 10 reigning sovereigns with Italy and Argentina in the front row and then the arrangement strictly in alphabetical order but following the French alphabet, with the United States and Ukraine which will therefore not be placed next to each other.
The Sardinian caravan has meanwhile landed in Rome: "We will greet the Pope of hope", the words of many young people and adolescents on the journey.
The funeral procession that will accompany Francis' body from St. Peter's to Santa Maria Maggiore, its final stop, will move "at walking pace to allow people to say goodbye to him." Two hundred thousand people are expected to be present along the route.
The live TV broadcast – tomorrow from 9:30 also on Videolina and on UnioneSarda.it – will stop at the entrance of the Marian basilica because the burial will be a private act. Visits to Bergoglio's tomb will instead be possible from Sunday morning.
Yesterday, in the meantime, the image of Bergoglio's tomb was released , made of marble from Liguria and with the only inscription "Franciscus" in addition to the image of his pectoral cross, the silver one, which Bergoglio always wore around his neck for all twelve years of his pontificate.
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Zelensky: «I may not be at the funeral»
Volodymyr Zelensky has announced that he may not attend Pope Francis' funeral in Rome because of important "military meetings" he will have to hold. "If I am not there on time, Ukraine will be represented at an appropriate level. The foreign minister and the first lady will be there. For me, it is important to be here. Several military meetings will be held in Ukraine today," Zelensky said while visiting the site of the Russian attack on Kiev.
Macron and his wife's tribute
French President Emmanuel Macron, with his wife Brigitte at his side, entered St. Peter's Basilica to pay homage to the body of Pope Francis. Macron and his wife stood for a few moments beside the coffin before leaving the Basilica.
What will the funeral procession be like?
"The Pope's funeral procession, consisting of a few cars with some cardinals and a few relatives, will proceed at a walking pace to allow everyone to say their last goodbyes. We have calculated that it will take a little over an hour to reach Santa Maria Maggiore, proceeding at between 5 and 10 kilometers per hour." This was stated by Prefect Lamberto Giannini, at the end of the Provincial Committee for Public Order and Security.
"We trust in the collaboration and composure of the citizens, as has happened in recent days," he underlined. While the police commissioner Roberto Massucci explained that "when the influx of delegations to St. Peter's ends, work will begin on the reclamation of the route where the coffin will pass. There will be five service areas, in each there will be a manager responsible for the personnel of the police forces and volunteers."
Law enforcement, 4,000 for funerals
There will be approximately four thousand men and women of the police force in the field tomorrow on the day of Pope Francis' funeral. This is what emerges from the Provincial Committee for Public Order and Security in the prefecture. Over a thousand will be employed to escort foreign delegations arriving in Rome. In addition, four thousand volunteers.
Basilica closed for public order reasons
The Basilica is not being kept open longer because "there is obviously a public order issue: it must be closed because tomorrow it will be the point of passage for delegations participating in the Pope's funeral. Then tonight there is the rite of closing the coffin. The technical times do not allow for a longer opening," explained the director of the Vatican Press Office Matteo Bruni in a briefing with journalists.
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The funeral vehicle will allow viewing of the coffin
The vehicle on which the Pope's coffin will be placed in the procession from St. Peter's to Santa Maria Maggiore, tomorrow, after the funeral, will allow the coffin to be viewed, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said.
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The funeral procession will last half an hour
The funeral procession, at the end of the Pope's funeral, from St. Peter's to Santa Maria Maggiore, will not pass through St. Peter's Square. The procession will exit from Porta del Perugino and then follow the route indicated by the Police Headquarters. The journey is expected to take half an hour. This was stated by Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni. There were 150,000 people, at 12:00 today, who paid their respects to the body of Pope Francis.
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Last access to the basilica for the Pope brought forward to 6pm
The last access to St. Peter's Basilica to pay homage to Pope Francis has been brought forward to 6:00 p.m. (it was scheduled for 7:00 p.m.). The faithful who will be inside at that time will still have the opportunity to pay their respects to the body of the Pontiff.
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Armored Cardinals and Extremely High Security Measures
Extremely high security measures today considering the influx of people even more impressive than in the past few days to give a last farewell to Pope Francis. The gates are also very closed for the press; at the entrance to the Petriano, where the cardinals entered this morning for the congregation, the press was closed inside a fence made of barriers. This early morning the gate closest to the press room on via della Conciliazione was also closed.
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As of this morning, 128,000 people have visited St. Peter's
St. Peter's Basilica remained open until 2:30 a.m. and reopened this morning at 5:40 a.m. From 11 a.m. on Wednesday, April 23 until 8 a.m. this morning, over 128,000 people gathered at St. Peter's Basilica to greet Pope Francis. This was announced by the Vatican Press Office.
