It feels like the whole of Rome has come to a standstill, certainly most of the roads all around the city center have been closed off.
Everyone is just pausing to absorb this moment – the solemnity of the bells, the historic nature of what they’ve just witnessed, and what they’re about to witness with this procession towards Santa maria Maggiore.
This hasn’t been seen in hundreds of years. There are about seven other popes who are buried at that basilica, but again, it has not been seen in our lifetime.
And you really can feel the shift in mood having been here throughout the week. Initially a lot of people, who were already in Rome, were just curious about the moment in history. But today has a very different feeling. Today is about honoring, gratitude and love. There are just so many people in profound devotion and deep prayer.
Although the service today was very solemn, somber, prayerful, I didn’t find it sad. It was very hopeful, and there were spontaneous moments of applause – I think that is what Pope Francis would’ve wanted.
Even in death, Francis wants to maintain that connection with people. We’re really seeing the idea that death is not the end playing out here. I’m struck in this moment by the sense of joy, the clapping, and the sense that in death there is also hope.
You can really see the universality of the Church today – there are people from totally different cultures and countries coming together around a shared faith. It’s a very much profound sense of communion.
Pope Francis was very clear he wanted to be buried at Santa Maria Maggiore. He had a very strong connection with that basilica – he used to go to pray in front of an ancient icon of the Virgin Mary before and after his foreign trips. It was a very important place for him.
Pope Francis’ coffin has begun its procession from the Vatican to the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, a church in Rome.
The basilica is about 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) away from the Vatican. Officials said the procession will proceed at walking pace, allowing the thousands of mourners packing Rome’s streets to get a final glimpse of the coffin.
The procession will take the pope’s body past various historical landmarks, including the Roman Forum and the Colosseum, before reaching Francis’ final resting place.e
The final stretch of the route will travel down a wide leafy street leading to the basilica, which lies outside of the Vatican walls, on the other side of Rome’s River Tiber.
The arrival and entry to the basilica is the last time the public will see the coffin of Pope Francis. Although the burial will not be broadcast live, a rosary will be held outside the basilica, which will be open to visitors from Sunday morning. CNN