Mourners on Wednesday morning began filling St. Peter’s Square to await their turn to pay their final respects to Pope Francis, whose remains will lie in state inside the basilica for the next three days prior to his funeral Mass on Saturday.
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ROME – Mourners on Wednesday morning began filling St. Peter’s Square to await their turn to pay their final respects to Pope Francis, whose remains will lie in state inside the basilica for the next three days prior to his funeral Mass on Saturday.
In a ceremony steeped in tradition but also reflecting the late pope’s penchant for innovation, his remains were formally relocated Wednesday morning from the Casa Santa Marta, the hotel on Vatican grounds where he lived for twelve years and where he died Easter Monday from complications related to double pneumonia.
