Pope Francis remembers when the faithful crowd makes the last respect

The doors opened at the Saint-Pierre basilica at 5:40 am Friday, and people immediately started to flow to pay tribute to Pope Francis, whose body was under the vast dome designed by Michelangelo. A few hours later, the net was a river, while thousands of people moved through the basilica on the last day they could say goodbye to the pontiff.

Francis’ funerals are scheduled for Saturday. Thereafter, he will be buried through the city of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, a place dear to his heart.

St. Peter’s was opened almost 24 hours a day since Francis’ body was moved here on Wednesday from the Vatican guest house where he had lived and died. The Vatican said that at noon on Friday, 150,000 people had passed.

Depending on the time of day, waiting to go through the coffin could take hours. “This is normal because so many people loved him,” said Daniela Sirigu, who lived in Rome and paid tribute to him on Friday. She said that she had heard dozens of languages, as well as Italian dialects, waiting for her turn to say goodbye. “It meant a lot for me to see him, he gave us so much,” she said.

Apart from the basilica, national and local agencies began to increase their operations in preparation for funerals. Security measures have been tightened. The roads surrounding the city of the Vatican began to be closed in anticipation of the 162 government delegations expected for the funeral. They include 12 ruling monarchs and 51 heads of state, the Vatican said on Thursday.

The Vatican streets were volunteer workers from the Lime green vests, civil protection workers and the Red Cross workers dressed in red, ready to cope with immediate emergencies or to provide instructions – or water bottles – to agitated tourists. Garbage collectors modifying plastic bags in garbage cans said that their work had increased considerably in recent days.