Cnn
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Vatican officials ask visitors not to take selfies with the late Pope Francis while he lies in the state inside the Saint-Pierre basilica, telling them to put away their phones through the coffin.
Nearly 130,000 people paid tribute to the pontiff, a lot of line for hours to see it lying in an open coffin, the Vatican said in a press release.
And while many bowed their heads in reflection and prayer, others held their mobile phones at altitude, trying to take photos from Francis at rest, the CNN images filmed Wednesday inside the basilica showed.
Videos published on Tiktok captured people stopping in front of the coffin to pose for selfies. “So disrespectful,” read a comment, which received more than 7,000 likes.
Thursday, officials told visitors to store their phones and not take photos via the coffin, after being criticized for effectively efficient use on the phone the day before.
CNN contacted the Vatican to comment.
Anyone is prohibited from photographing or filming the pontiff on “his illness bed or after death”, except when Camerlengo (interim authority) approves for documentary purposes, a directive issued by the Vatican in 1996 indicates.
Since then, technological progress and the rise of smartphones have been that almost everyone has a camera on them at any time. And when public figures die, the resulting rituals can remain awkwardly between a solemn and respectful wake and a chance to capture a moment in history.
Friday, people in mourning will be able to pay tribute to Pope Francis until 6 p.m. local time (Midi HE) Friday, the date on which the public will no longer be authorized to queue to enter the basilica.
On Saturday, the pope will be buried in the church of Santa Maria Maggiore following a ceremony to follow by a series of political and religious leaders, Royals and celebrities.
A large part of the funeral will be held outside on Saint-Pierre square before a procession in Santa Maria Maggiore in the heart of Imperial Rome, after the Roman forum and the Colosseum.
