Vatican may extend hours as huge crowds line up to honor Pope Francis
Editor's Note: This page is a summary of news on the death of Pope Francis for Wednesday, April 23. For the latest news, view our story for Thursday, April 24.
A massive crowd waiting to view the remains of Pope Francis stretched for blocks in Vatican City on a warm spring Wednesday, prompting officials to consider extending visitation time for the faithful to pay homage at St. Peter's Basilica.
An estimated 20,000 mourners burst into sustained but subdued applause earlier Wednesday as the casket was held aloft on a wooden platform and carried from Francis' residence across St. Peter's Square to the historic church.
The body of the 88-year-old pope was scheduled to lie in state in the basilica until Friday evening, allowing the faithful to say a final goodbye to the humble yet forceful pontiff whose reign was marked by clashes with the powerful and unrelenting support for the marginalized. Francis suffered a stroke, fell into a coma and died at the residence Monday.
Francis, in an open coffin cordoned off, was dressed in red vestments with a traditional white bishop's mitre on his head, his hands holding a rosary.
"Dear brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow we now accompany the mortal remains of our Pope Francis to the Vatican Basilica," said Irish-American Cardinal Kevin Farrell as the ceremony began in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta.
“As we now leave this home, let us thank the Lord for the countless gifts he bestowed on the Christian people through his servant, Pope Francis,” Farrell said. “Let us ask him, in his mercy and kindness, to grant to the late pope an eternal home in the kingdom of heaven, and to comfort with the celestial hope the papal family, the Church in Rome, and the faithful throughout the world.”
Mourners gather from around the world
Maria Pia Caruso traveled to Rome from her home in northern Italy to pay respects to a pope she said brought important changes to the global Catholic Church.
"Let's hope that his successor continues with these changes and there is no going back," she said.
Rachel Mckay, from Britain, said Francis was "somebody who made the church very accessible to everybody and inclusive to everybody. He's like a member of the family, somebody very close to our hearts."
Among the first mourners to stand in line to pay final respects to Francis was an American, Alex Lenrtz, who said he experienced a mixture of emotions being part of such a momentous occasion.
"It's just such a surreal (feeling) ... and seeing the body and just remembering everything that he stood for is very important," Lenrtz said.
Despite disagreements, Vance remembers Francis as a 'great Christian pastor'
Vice President JD Vance did not realize how sick Pope Francis was when he met with the pontiff at the Vatican a day before he died. The vice president, a converted Catholic, held formal talks with the Vatican's secretary of state and an informal face-to-face with Francis that Vance described as "a great blessing."
Vance and Francis clashed earlier this year about the Trump administration's immigration policies. But Vance, speaking to reporters Wednesday during a trip to India, said he would not "soil" the pope's legacy by revisiting the dispute.
"I'm aware that he had some disagreements with some of the policies of our administration.," Vance said. "He also had a lot of agreements with some of the policies of our administration. I'm not going to soil the man's legacy by talking about politics. I think he was a great Christian pastor, and that's how I choose to remember the Holy Father." Read more here.
− Francesca Chambers
Candidates to succeed Francis next to each other at basilica
Though no front-runner to replace Francis has emerged, several candidates have been named as possible options.
Observers noted that two cardinals considered among the favorites − Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, a reformer from the Philippines, and Pietro Parolin, a Vatican diplomat from Italy − stood together in the basilica as Francis' coffin was laid on a dais Wednesday.
The selection of the 67-year-old Tagle, who goes by the nickname "Chito'' and is often called the "Asian Francis,'' would represent a continuation of Francis' commitment to social justice and expanding the church's influence beyond its strongholds.
"I believe it would be very natural to choose someone from Africa, Asia or in any case from those parts of the world where the church is, in some way, more alive, more dynamic, and with more of a future," Swedish Cardinal Anders Arborelius told the Corriere della Sera newspaper.
Parolin, 70, is seen as compromise candidate between the church's progressive and conservative factions, and he also has experience reaching out beyond Europe. He was the main architect of the Vatican's rapprochement with China and Vietnam.
Pope Francis lies in state
The Vatican is providing the faithful with three days to pay their respects. St. Peter's Basilica was scheduled to remain open Wednesday until midnight, then reopen Thursday from 7 a.m. to midnight and on Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The long lines, however, prompted the Vatican to announce Wednesday "the possibility of extending the opening of the Vatican Basilica beyond the established time of midnight." No details were revealed.
Farrell was scheduled to preside over the rite of the sealing of the pope's coffin on Friday at 8 p.m. The funeral Mass on Saturday at St. Peter’s Square will begin at 10 a.m. (4 a.m. ET).
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, will preside over the funeral Mass, which will be celebrated by patriarchs, cardinals, archbishops, bishops and priests from around the world, the Vatican said. The funeral starts nine days of mourning.
Francis, an Argentinian and the first non-European pope in 1,300 years, wished to be buried in Rome's Basilica of Saint Mary Major and not St. Peter's, where many of his predecessors were laid to rest.
Sister worried Francis moved so far away, and never saw him again
Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was the oldest of five children raised by Italian immigrants. His father, Mario Jose Bergoglio, worked as an accountant, while his mother, Regina Maria Sivori, tended to the children.
Only one of Francis' siblings − youngest sister Maria Elena, 12 years his junior − was still alive when he was elected pope in 2013, the first pontiff ever from the Americas.
Maria Elena, known by family and friends as Mariela, was concerned at the time of his promotion about having her only living brother so far away in Italy. They remained close despite the distance, according to La Nacion, but never saw each other again in person after he left for Rome. The Argentinian newspaper reported Monday that Maria Elena is still alive but in poor health.
"Knowing him, I feel he's going to bring some changes to the church,'' she said of her brother in 2013.
− Saman Shafiq
Mass for Francis in the Holy Land
Christians from around the world prayed for Pope Francis at a solemn Mass on Wednesday at Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Some worshippers shed tears under the rotunda as prayers echoed, while others lit candles and knelt at the Stone of the Anointing, the stone slab where it is believed Jesus' body was prepared for burial.
Among those who had gathered was Palestinian Azzam Elias, 55, from Bethlehem, who was able to attend because he had received a permit from Israeli authorities to enter Jerusalem over the Easter holiday period.
"God bless his soul," Elias said. "He called for peace, love, respect, dialogue between religions. This Mass is something simple for such a person."
A common refrain from Francis: 'Please pray for me'
Personal stories emerging this week in the wake of the many tributes to Pope Francis reflect the impact of individual prayers and blessings the pontiff shared around the world, whether he was talking with starry eyed newlyweds or world leaders.
The pope was known for asking others to pray for him. Ohio resident Tyler Duvelius shared on X that, while he and now-wife Katie planned their honeymoon, he learned from his parish priest of an opportunity for newlyweds to be greeted by the pope following a general audience at the Vatican. The couple seized the opportunity and shared an unforgettable moment with Francis.
"Please pray for us as we begin our marriage," Duvelius recalled saying. Then, as the pope was being wheeled past, he stopped and looked back at the couple. "He said, in English, 'You please pray for me.' We were dumbfounded." Read more here.
− Dinah Voyles Pulver
MTG pope tweet: Was Greene slamming Francis?
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's recent post on X has users wondering if she celebrated the death of Pope Francis.
"Today there were major shifts in global leaderships," the Republican congresswoman's post read. "Evil is being defeated by the hand of God."
A reader-added context note pointed out that it was posted hours after the Vatican announced Francis' death. A spokesperson for Greene did not immediately respond to Paste BN's request for clarification on what her post was referring to. Greene has been critical of leadership within the Catholic Church before, saying bishops were "controlled by Satan" for providing aid to immigrants, Religion News Service reported. Read more here.
− Kinsey Crowley
Cardinals in charge until a pope is selected
A commission of three cardinals selected by lot assists the Vatican "Camerlengo" − Farrell, who normally oversees the property and finances of the pope − in governing the church until a new pope is selected, the Vatican says. These three cardinals represent the three orders of the College of Cardinals and are replaced every three days.
The Vatican announced the first group of three cardinals are Pietro Parolin (episcopal order), Stanisław Ryłko (presbyteral order) and Fabio Baggio (diaconal order).
A conclave to choose a new pope normally takes place 15 to 20 days after the death of a pontiff, meaning it should not start before May 6. As of Monday, there were 252 cardinals, of whom 135 are electors, according to the Vatican. Cardinals over the age of 80 are excluded from voting.
Trump, other world leaders expected for funeral
President Donald Trump will fly from Washington, D.C., for the pope's funeral Friday morning and return to the U.S. on Saturday evening afterward, the White House announced. Britain's Prince William will attend the funeral on behalf of King Charles, Kensington Palace said. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer also will attend.
U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres will attend, his office said. Javier Milei, president of Francis' native Argentina, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were among other heads of state who said they would attend.
Russian President Vladimir Putin won't be present but will decide soon who will make up the Russian delegation, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday. China's Foreign Ministry said it had no information on plans for Chinese representation.
Contributing: Reuters