The initial forecasts referred to 35,000 pilgrims per day
The body of the emeritus Pope Benedict was placed in a popular pilgrimage from this morning at 9, Italian time, and the initial forecasts of 35,000 pilgrims per day were exceeded.
By just before 5pm, over forty thousand worshipers flocked to St Peter’s Royal Church to pay their respects to the late former pontiff.
Images from the first day of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI lying-in-state in St. Peter’s Basilica. pic.twitter.com/fCajMDpUmp
— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) January 2, 2023
Tomorrow the popular pilgrimage is to continue, from 7 am to 7 pm local time, just like on Wednesday.
Next to Benedict’s body are, with respect to tradition, two Swiss guards.
On Thursday morning, the funeral will be held, presided over by Pope Francis, and then the pontiff emeritus will be buried, in the Vatican caves, in the same crypt where Pope John Paul II was buried in 2005.
This is a wish that Benedict himself had recently expressed.
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With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
