Coffin with the body of Pope Francis was moved to St. Peter's Basilica for farewell
Kyiv • UNN
The coffin with the body of Pope Francis was moved to St. Peter's Basilica. After the prayer service, believers will be able to pay their respects to the deceased pontiff until Saturday's funeral.
The coffin with the deceased Pope Francis was moved to St. Peter's Basilica on Wednesday. Before that, it was carried through St. Peter's Square in the Vatican. UNN writes about this with reference to the BBC.
Details
The procession with the Pope's body in the coffin lasted about 40 minutes. A prayer service will be held in St. Peter's Basilica before believers are allowed to enter to pay their last respects to the deceased pontiff. Pope Francis' body will rest in St. Peter's Basilica until Saturday's funeral.
Austen Ivereigh, Pope Francis' biographer, said that coins minted during his pontificate, one for each year in the Holy See, will be placed in a bag in the coffin.
Ivereigh also explained that in the past, the bodies of Popes were embalmed, but today it is not mandatory. The biographer added that the Pope's body underwent the necessary treatment to delay the decomposition process, but other than that "he is as he was when he died".
Addendum
Pope Francis died on Monday, April 21. On the eve of his death, Pope Francis thanked his personal nurse for encouraging him to greet the crowd in St. Peter's Square on Easter Sunday.
Meanwhile, Rome is stepping up security measures in connection with the funeral of Pope Francis. A ban on flights of aircraft over the city will be introduced for the duration of the farewell to the pontiff.
President of the United States of America Donald Trump has officially confirmed that he will visit Pope Francis' funeral in Rome with Melania.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy will come to Rome to honor the Catholic leader. The funeral will take place between Friday and Sunday this week.