About 250,000 mourners pay last respects to Pope Francis over 3 days of public viewing as coffin is sealed

More than 250,000 people paid their last respects to Pope Francis over three days of public viewing by ordinary mourners, church and political leaders that ended Friday, when his coffin was sealed ahead of his state funeral in St.Peter’s Square and burial in a basilica outside the Vatican’s walls.World leaders, including U.S.

President Donald Trump and Argentine President Javier Milei, along with royalty, converged on Rome for the funeral.But the group of marginalized people who will meet his casket in a small crosstown basilica are more in keeping with Francis’ humble persona and disdain for pomp.The Vatican said that 164 delegations are confirmed, including 54 heads of state and 12 reigning sovereigns.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who will also attend the funeral, was among those who made it in time to pay last respects to the pope.Tens of thousands of mourners waited hours in line over three days to bid farewell to Francis, who died Monday after suffering a stroke at the age of 88.A higher-than-expected turnout prompted the Vatican to extend the basilica’s opening hours overnight.Angele Bilegue, a nun, was among the last mourners.It was her third time to pay her respects, including once inside the Vatican at his residence in the Santa Marta Domus, where she said she spent six hours praying at his coffin.“He was my friend, so I went one last time to say goodbye,’’ she said.“I cried.”A changing of the guards at Francis’ open coffin signaled the end of the viewing period of the pontiff, who was laid out in red robes, a bishop’s pointed miter and a rosary entwined in his hands.He was being buried with his well-worn black shoes, including scuff marks on the toe — emblematic of the simple life he espoused.Cardinal Kevin Farrell presided over the closing and sealing of the coffin in his role of camerlengo, or interim Vatican administrator.According to photos released by the Vatican, a white cloth was placed over the pope’s face, and a...