Pope Francis: Over 90,000 People Paid Tribute as St. Peter’s Basilica Stayed Open All Night

More than 90,000 people paid tribute to the late Pope Francis on Wednesday and Thursday after his passing at the age of 88 on Holy Monday (April 21, 2025), according to the Vatican Press Office. Mourners lined up to see Pope Francis lying in a simple wooden casket inside St. Peter’s Basilica, which remained open all night due to the overwhelming turnout, closing only for a brief period early Thursday morning for cleaning. By 7 PM Thursday, nearly 100,000 individuals from various nations had already paid their final respects. The Italian Ministry of Justice announced that visitors would proceed to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, where Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Pope Francis’ birth name, will be laid to rest. Thousands more waited in line to express their love and respect for the ‘Pope of the Poor.’ Among those who visited St. Peter’s Basilica were football players from Roma and Lazio teams, along with members of the small Argentinian team supported by Pope Francis. Alongside impoverished individuals, marginalized groups, transgender persons, and former sex workers, a total of 40 people who knew Pope Francis in recent years left white roses on his tomb. Public veneration will continue until this evening at 7 PM, after which the Pope’s casket will be closed for final preparations ahead of Saturday morning’s funeral. Official delegations from approximately 130 countries, including at least 50 heads of state or government, are arriving in Rome for the ceremony. U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are expected to arrive Friday evening, joining leaders from Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, Philippines, Poland, Ukraine, and others, as well as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. High-ranking members of royal families from Belgium, Great Britain, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands, Spain, and Monaco will also attend. On Saturday morning, veterans will carry the casket out of the basilica and place it before the altar in St. Peter’s Square, where the requiem mass will begin at 10 AM. Vatican officials confirmed today that the poor will be among the last to view Pope Francis’ casket before its transfer for burial, emphasizing their privileged place in God’s heart and the late Pope’s mission. An estimated 250,000 people worldwide are expected to attend the funeral under exceptionally strict security measures involving 11,000 military and police personnel. Immediately following the service, the Pope’s casket will travel through the city accompanied by a small group of cardinals to its final resting place in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.