Glendale woman pays final respects to Pope Francis days after encounter during Easter celebration
VATICAN CITY (KABC) -- A Glendale was among the thousands paying their final respects to Pope Francis in Vatican City on Wednesday, days after she encountered the pontiff during an Easter celebration.
"He gave so much," said Sevan Markarian. "He gave charity. He gave love. He gave to the poor, I mean, he gave it all."
The pope died just hours after she saw him.
"He passed right next to me," she said. "He stopped there. It was a blessing."
Throngs of the faithful made their way to the main altar at St. Peter's Basilica, where Francis' open wooden casket was perched, as Swiss Guards stood at attention. Over the coming days, tens of thousands of people are expected to pass through, and the Vatican said it may extend the viewer hours even longer due to high turnout. In the first 8 1/2 hours, 19,430 people paid their respects to the pope.
Francis was laid out in red robes, clasping a rosary and wearing a bishop's miter, the traditional pointed headdress. Mourners waited hours to reach the casket, which was behind a cordon. Some held their cell phones aloft as they neared to snap photos in what has become a modern ritual.
Francis' casket wasn't put on an elevated bier - as was the case with past popes - but placed on a ramp, facing the pews. It was in keeping with his wishes for the rituals surrounding a papal funeral to be simplified to reflect his belief that the pope's role is that of simple pastor, not world leader.
Cardinals, meanwhile, 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, capping a 12-year pontificate characterized by his concern for the poor and message of inclusion, but also some criticism from conservatives who sometimes felt alienated by his progressive bent.
Francis first lay in state in the hotel where he lived, in a private viewing for Vatican residents and the papal household.
Wednesday opened with the bells of St. Peter's tolling as pallbearers carried Francis' body into the basilica, in a procession through the piazza where he had delivered his final goodbye. Francis had made a surprise popemobile tour through the faithful on Easter Sunday, after his nurse assured him he could despite his frail health from a bout of pneumonia and long hospitalization.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who is running the Vatican until a new pope is elected, led the procession to the altar, with clouds of incense and the choir chanting the Litany of Saints hymn. In pairs, cardinals approached the casket, bowed and made a sign of the cross, followed by bishops, ushers, priests and nuns.
Then the doors were opened to the public. There was the squeak of sneakers, the rustling of kneeling nuns, the murmur of quiet prayers. A cough, a child's cry.
"We knew there were many people, so we approached this with calmness," said Rosa Morghen from Naples, adding: "It's the feeling one experiences when a family member passes away, as he is a father, a grandfather who has gone."
The public viewing ends Friday evening, after which Francis' casket will be closed and sealed.
The funeral has been set for Saturday morning in St. Peter's Square. It will be attended by world leaders, including President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelenskyy.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
