Pope Francis: Crowds gather in Vatican ahead of funeral – DW –
Around St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City, large crowds of faithful queued to bid farewell to the late Pope Francis. More than 128,000 people have come since the St. Peter’s Basilica opened for the public on Wednesday.

Around St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City, large crowds of faithful queued to bid farewell to the late Pope Francis. More than 128,000 people have come since the St. Peter’s Basilica opened for the public on Wednesday.

Since Wednesday, the public has been able to visit Pope Francis at Saint Peter’s BasilicaImage: Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP

Thousands of faithful queued in Vatican City to pay their respects to Pope Francis on Friday, days after the pontiff passed away on Easter Monday at the age of 88.

It is the last day for the public to see the pope’s coffin ahead of his funeral the day after. Until 7 p.m. local time (1700 GMT) mourners can bid farewell to the late pontiff before his coffin is sealed.

As such large numbers of pilgrims and other faithful came to bid the pope farewell, the Basilica extended its opening hours two times in a row, only closing between 2:30 a.m. (0030 GMT) and 5:40 a.m. on Friday.

Italian and Vatican authorities have taken tight security measures with drones blocked, snipers on roofs and fighter jets on standby, also to prepare for the funeral on Saturday. Further checkpoints will be activated on Friday night, police said.

Thousands from around the world pay respects to Pope Francis

Chaotic scenes unfolded as faithful waited outside the Vatican on Friday, Germany’s DPA news agency reported.

Visitors queueing on an access street to the plaza pushed aside security barriers, with some making their way towards the St. Peter’s Basilica where the pope lies in state. Many security forces tried to stop them.

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