Inside St. Peter's Basilica on April 24, 2025. VATICAN/EXPAT MEDIA

Thousands of mourners continued to gather at St. Peter’s Basilica on Thursday (April 24) to pay their final respects to Pope Francis, who died at age 88 earlier this week. The basilica remained open past midnight until 5:30am, allowing even more people to view the late pontiff’s body, which rests in a simple wooden coffin atop the main altar, flanked by Swiss Guards. By Thursday morning, the Vatican reported that more than 50,000 people had visited since public viewing began on Wednesday, including 13,000 overnight visitors. Pope Francis, known for his humility and progressive leadership, died at his Vatican residence in Casa Santa Marta on Monday (April 21) following a stroke and heart failure. He had recently been discharged after a five-week hospital stay to treat double pneumonia. The basilica reopened again at 7am Thursday, and will continue public viewing until midnight. On Friday, viewing will run from 7am to 7pm, ahead of the funeral mass scheduled on Saturday morning at St. Peter’s Square. In line with his wishes for a simple burial, Pope Francis is dressed in white papal vestments and holds a rosary, with his red-lined coffin left open for public viewing. He will be buried not in the Vatican, but in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, a church close to his heart, located outside Vatican walls in Rome’s Esquilino district. ALSO READ: 'I waited six hours to see Pope Francis one last time' On Wednesday, as his body was carried into the square, the crowd of mourners broke into prolonged but somber applause. The basilica bells tolled gently, and a choir sang psalms and prayers in Latin, pleading, “Pray for us.”

What happens next: The road to the next pope

With the death of Pope Francis, the Catholic Church now enters a period known as sede vacante, or the “vacant seat.” The College of Cardinals, comprising 252 members, will convene in a conclave in the Sistine Chapel to elect a new pontiff. Of the cardinals, 138 are eligible to vote. The date of the conclave has yet to be announced, but tradition and Church norms indicate it may begin as early as May 5. The conclave is steeped in ritual. Voting cardinals will cast up to four ballots per day, and a two-thirds majority is required to elect the new pope. While speculation is already swirling around possible successors, no clear frontrunner has emerged. Once a new pope is elected, white smoke will rise from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel—a sign to the world that the Catholic Church once again has a leader. As millions mourn the loss of Pope Francis, the world watches and waits to see who will continue the path he began—one marked by mercy, humility, and a radical embrace of the Gospel’s call for inclusion and love. RY/Expat Media ALSO READ: Dubai residents recall encounters with Pope Francis
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