About 100,000 people were waiting this afternoon to enter St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican and pay their last respects to the late Pope Francis, ANSA reported, citing estimates from the Vatican security service, BTA writes.
The queue outside the church, which is considered the spiritual and historical center of Catholicism, is getting longer with each passing hour.
The pope's remains were laid to rest in the basilica in the heart of Rome yesterday morning. It has been open since this morning to the general public, but the waiting time is long. The pope's remains are on display in a simple wooden coffin.
The basilica was originally expected to remain open until midnight, but the crowds are so large that Vatican officials have not ruled out the possibility of it remaining open longer than initially announced. More people are expected to gather, especially in the late afternoon and evening.
The basilica is expected to be open from 7:00 a.m. local time to 7:00 p.m. local time tomorrow. The pope will be buried on Saturday.