Pope Francis' coffin transferred to St. Peter's Basilica

The Vatican says almost 20,000 mourners have so far seen Pope Francis lying in state at St. Peter's Basilica.

It is the first evening of the pope's body being open for people to visit after his casket was moved from the chapel at Casa Santa Marta, where he died.

A spokesman told reporters 19,430 people had filed through the church during the almost nine-hour period between 11 a.m. local time, when the public viewing began, and 7:45 p.m.

Viewing is scheduled to go on until midnight before starting again on Thursday morning.

The Vatican has set out nine days of mourning for Pope Francis that will start on Saturday, the day of his funeral.

The period will include daily prayer events at St. Peter's Basilica for the so-called "novemdiales" (nine days), which will last until May 4.

The Holy See made the announcement as Catholic cardinals met to discuss the next steps after the death of Pope Francis at the age of 88.

A date has yet to be set for the conclave — the secret meeting of cardinals aged under 80 who will elect a new pope.

It must take place between 15 and 20 days after the pontiff's death to provide for a suitable mourning period and so that all cardinals have time to reach the gathering.

The Vatican says it may extend the time for mourners to visit Pope Francis' body lying in state due to the high number of pilgrims paying their respects at St. Peter's Basilica.

The Holy See said it was considering keeping the basilica open to visitors until beyond midnight in Rome on Friday due to the "elevated turnout'' of pilgrims.

Francis, who died at age 88 on Monday, is lying in state for three days.

The Vatican had originally planned to allow visits until midnight on Wednesday and Thursday, but to close them at 7 p.m. on Friday ahead of the Saturday funeral.

Some 100,000 people were waiting on Wednesday afternoon to enter the basilica to see the late pontiff, the Italian news agency ANSA reported, citing a Vatican security service estimate.

Father Patrick Mary Briscoe, who flew into Italy from the US, told DW that Pope Francis was beloved by many because his acts of humility and simplicity weren't just "symbolic."

"They felt close to him because of these signs, because of the way he carried himself, because of the way he conducted himself in his office," said the editor Our Sunday Visitor magazine.

"And in that way, it was very effective. If you look at the polls, for example, Pope Francis remained enormously popular in the United States throughout his pontificate," Briscoe said.

Briscoe said his priesthood and his service in church was "marked really by Pope Francis's lead" and he traveled to the Vatican to thank the late pope for his service on behalf of other American Catholics who also want to pay their respects.

Will the next pope be more conservative than Francis?

"We'll certainly see candidates rise to the top that embody the best of Pope Francis. But like Pope Francis, probably will stop short of making many of the progressive changes that plenty of people throughout the world want to see in the Catholic Church," Briscoe said.

"Francis left a number of people disappointed by not making changes that they expected like the admission of women to holy orders or changes of other church teachings" he added.

"So in this way, Pope Francis was in fact, quite traditional."

Cardinals eligible to choose the next pope begin meeting before Francis' funeral in "pre-conclave" exchanges.

These are important because cardinals from 71 countries do not all know each other, not even in terms of their policy positions within the church. 

Read the full DW report.

The Philippines began a period of national mourning for Pope Francis on Wednesday, with President Ferdinand Marcos ordering flags on all state buildings to be flown at half-mast.

"Pope Francis holds a special place in the hearts of the Filipino people," Marcos said, adding that the period of mourning would continue until Francis' funeral on Saturday.

"The passing of Pope Francis is a moment of profound sorrow for the Catholic Church and for the Filipino people, who recognize him as [a] global leader of compassion and a tireless advocate of peace, justice and human dignity."

The Philippines is home to more than 80 million Catholics, or nearly 80% of the population.

Meanwhile, in Europe, Slovakia also declared a day of national mourning to take place on Saturday.

Slovakia is a Roman Catholic stronghold in Central Europe and President Peter Pellegrini is expected to attend the Pope's funeral.

Pope Francis' casket has been transferred to the St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City for the public to bid farewell ahead of his funeral on Saturday morning.

But the basilica is not his final resting place, which makes him the first pope in almost 150 years to be transferred elsewhere after the funeral.

Instead, he will be buried in a simple tomb in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, one of seven pilgrim Churches in Rome and Francis' favorite.

He stipulated this in his will published on Monday.

After the pope is finally put to rest, a successor needs to be elected. All cardinals meet before and after the pope's funeral at Vatican Synod Hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose the next pope.

The conclave includes all cardinals under 80 years old, which makes for 135 of the 252 prelates. They will meet no earlier than May 6, as the Church law stipulates.

As they continue voting until a person gets a two-thirds majority, it is unclear how long the decision process will take. There is no clear frontrunner to succeed Francis.

St. Peter's Basilica opened to the public at 11 a.m. (0900 GMT). On Wednesday morning, thousands already came to pay their respects to the Pope as he lays in state until his funeral on Saturday.

In the upcoming days, tens of thousands of people from all around the world are expected to bid the pope farewell.

The Vatican published its opening hours for the public viewing:

Wednesday, April 23: 11 a.m. – 12 a.m.

Thursday, April 24: 7 a.m. – 12 a.m.

Friday, April 25: 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.

 

Mourners came to follow the ceremony in which the pope's coffin was transferred to the Basilica.

Many started queuing early for the public viewing which starts at 11 a.m. (0900 GMT).

The pope's body arrived at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City to lie in state before his funeral on Saturday.

Pallbearers carried the open coffin on their shoulders from the chapel of Casa Santa Marta, his residence and the place where he died. They were followed by red-robed cardinals and the Swiss Guards in their golden and blue uniforms.

Cardinal Kevin Farrell led the procession. He is temporarily running the Vatican until a new pope is elected.

In a formal message, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed his condolences over the death of Pope Francis.

"Through his tireless commitment to the faith and his calls for humanity and brotherhood, he gave people worldwide strength, confidence and inspiration," Scholz said.

As a longstanding diplomatic tradition, the message was sent in what is referred to as a "telegram." Although harking back to a previous era, this now usually refers to an email being followed up by an official letter sent in the post.

Scholz is planning to attend Francis' funeral on Saturday, along with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

After Pope Francis passed on Monday, the late 88-year-old's casket is set to be displayed for three days in Saint Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.

On Wednesday morning, he is to be moved from the Santa Marta Domus, where he lay for private viewing for Vatican residents and the papal household.

The Argentinean pontiff's casket will not be placed on an elevated bier as with most popes — it will be put on the main altar, facing the pews.

From Wednesday until Friday, the public will be able to pay their respects. On Wednesday and Thursday, the Basilica will be kept open until midnight. The public mourning is scheduled to end on Friday at 7 p.m.