Crowds wait for hours to pay final respects to Pope Francis at St. Peter's


Faithful pay respect as Pope Francis lies in state in St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, April 24, 2025. REUTERS/Yara Nardi

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Mourners stood in line for hours on Thursday to pay their final respects to Pope Francis, whose body is lying in state in St. Peter's Basilica ahead of his funeral on Saturday.

Huge queues snaked around St. Peter's Square and the surrounding roads, before being funnelled through the heart of the basilica in a single column leading to the central altar, where Francis' open-topped coffin is placed on a dais.

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