The body of Pope Francis will be moved Wednesday morning to St. Peter’s Basilica for three days of public mourning for an Argentine pontiff remembered for his humble style, concern for the poor and insistent prayers for peace.
Heads of state are expected for the funeral Saturday in St. Peter’s Square, but the public viewing is largely for ordinary Catholics to grieve the 88-year-old pope, who died Monday after suffering a stroke.
The basilica will be kept open until midnight on Wednesday and Thursday to allow the faithful to mourn. The public mourning period will end on Friday at 7 p.m.
Cardinals met at the Vatican on Tuesday to schedule Francis’ funeral and burial, plan the conclave to elect his successor and make other decisions about running the Catholic Church.
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The casket passed them by along the same path the pope had travelled just days before, on Easter Sunday, in what became his final popemobile tour through the faithful.
It was a surprise salute, which Francis decided at the last minute after being assured he could do it despite his continued frail health from pneumonia.
The procession included solemn cardinals, prelates and Swiss Guards escorting the pontiff to where he will lie in state.
A choir chanted as the cardinals processed slowly through the archway gates leading out into the piazza.
The U.S. vice president is currently on a four-day visit to India.
He said Wednesday that while he was able to see Pope Francis on Easter Sunday during his Vatican visit over the weekend, he didn’t “realize how sick he was” and that he would always remember the pontiff as a “great pastor.”
His body will be transferred from his home in the Vatican hotel to St. Peter’s Basilica for three days of public viewing.
Filipinos in Taiwan began gradually gathering at St. Christopher’s Church, a center for a community whose members have migrated to the island to work mainly in factories and as caregivers.
“This is a church for migrants, for people who have to live away from their loved ones, and Pope Francis had a deep concern for those people,” said Luz Fernandez, a housekeeper whose employer gave her time off to light a candle at the church. “He will be missed.”
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the leader of the largest Roman Catholic nation in Asia, will attend the funeral in Rome of Pope Francis, whom he described as “the best pope in my lifetime.”
Marcos, 67, will be joined by his wife, Louise Araneta-Marcos in the trip to Rome, Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said on Wednesday.
The Philippine leader extolled Francis as “a man of profound faith and humility,” who “led not only with wisdom but with a heart open to all, especially the poor and the forgotten.”
Churches across the Philippines rang their bells Monday to mourn the death of Francis, who visited the country in 2015 to console survivors of Typhoon Haiyan in a central poverty-stricken region and celebrate Mass in Manila before millions of Filipinos.
He also visited then the University of Santo Tomas in Manila. The Catholic university put on display in an exhibit this week the wooden chair used by Francis, a guest book and the pen he used to sign it and other mementos that have drawn crowds.
Trump is planning to leave Washington on Friday morning to fly to Rome for Pope Francis’ funeral services.
He’ll return Saturday evening, once services are over.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the president’s travel plans during her briefing with reporters on Tuesday. She did not provide details on if Trump will meet with foreign leaders during the trip, or who might travel with him as part of a U.S. delegation.
The White House says more details on travel will be coming.
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