VATICAN CITY, Italy
Roman Catholic faithful began visiting the tomb of Pope Francis on Sunday, filing past the simple white tomb in St. Mary Major Basilica a day after he was bade farewell by the powerful of the world and a crowd of hundreds of thousands.
A single white rose was placed
on the tomb that said “Franciscus" — the pope's name in Latin.
A light cast its warm glow
over the tomb and a reproduction of the late pontiff's pectoral cross on the
wall above it.
People filed past, many
crossing themselves or snapping photos with their phones.
Ushers urged them to keep
moving to accommodate the thousands who flocked to the Rome basilica to see the
tomb, forming a long line outside.
The tomb was opened on the
second of nine days of official mourning for Francis, after which a conclave
will be held to elect the next pope.
Meanwhile, a special Mass was
held in St. Peter's Square led by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's
secretary of state.
Parolin is considered a
possible contender to be the next pope due to his prominence in the Catholic
hierarchy.
No date has yet been set for
the conclave, but it must start by May 10.
Cardinals who traveled to Rome
for Francis' funeral will be meeting regularly this week ahead of the conclave
as they start to chart a way forward for the 1.4 billion-strong Catholic
Church.
Pope Francis chose his place
of burial in St. Mary Major Basilica, near an icon of the Madonna that he
revered, because it reflects his “humble, simple and essential" life, the
archbishop who administers the basilica said Friday.
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