Faithful moved at sight of body of Pope Francis in his coffin in St. Peter's Basilica

(23 Apr 2025) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Rome - 23 April 2024 1. Various of mourners queuing in St Peter basilica to see the body of Pope Francis some using phones 2. Various of mourners with Pope Francis photo 3. Swiss guards move around Pope’s coffin 4. Mourners take photos 5. Close of Popes coffin 6. Various of mourners viewing coffin 7. Various of Cardinals queuing to mourn Pope Francis 8. Wide of crowds in church 9. SOUNDBITE (English) Chris Queen, Irish Catholic devotee: #“Yeah, it was very, very moving experience to see him so vulnerable after so long being so unwell. A real pleasure and privilege to be there. The queueing was difficult, but it kind of worth it in the end, so a pleasure to, to be there." 10. Mourners queuing outside St. Peter’s Basilica 11. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Rosa Morghen, Italian Catholic Devotee from Naples: “We knew there were many people, so we approached this with calmness. It's an opportunity to be able to pray for our Pope and it's the feeling one experiences when a family member passes away, as he is a father, a grandfather who has gone." 12. Mourners queuing outside St. Peter’s Basilica 13. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Elena (no family name) Italian Catholic Devotee from Rome: “We wanted to come on purpose. Look, this morning at 9am I was in the hospital. I came here to visit the Pope because he deserved it. A Pope like this is not easy to find. Let's hope for the best for the future." 14. Pan of queue of mourners outside St Peter basilica STORYLINE: Thousands of people have said goodbye to Pope Francis after his body was moved to St Peter's Basilica. Thousands more are expected to pay their final respects to the Pope over the coming three days ahead of Francis' funeral. Devotees and curious onlookers filed their way slowly to the 16th-century basilica’s main altar to say prayers, cross themselves or take photos. Francis’ simple wooden casket was perched on a slight ramp, as four Swiss Guards stood at attention. Cardinals, meanwhile, also paid their respects to Pope Francis and met in private to finalize preparations for Saturday’s funeral and plan the conclave to elect Francis’ successor. Francis died on Monday at age 88. AP Video shot by Paolo Santalucia =========================================================== Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their licence agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel +44(0)2074827482 Email: [email protected]. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...