Vatican may extend time for visiting Pope's body due to high number of pilgrims

VATICAN CITY - The Vatican may extend the timeframe for pilgrims to visit Pope Francis' body in St. Peter's Basilica until beyond midnight in Rome (22:00 GMT) due to the large number of visitors, it said in a statement on Wednesday.

Francis, who died at age 88 on Monday, is lying in state for three days.

The Vatican had originally planned to close visits at midnight on Wednesday and Thursday and at 7 p.m. (1700 GMT) on Friday.

Pope Francis revealed his last wishes in his will published Monday, asking to be buried in a simple, unadorned tomb inside his beloved Roman basilica, Santa Maria Maggiore.

"Feeling that the sunset of my earthly life is approaching and with lively hope in Eternal Life, I wish to express my testamentary will only as regards the place of my burial," wrote the pope in his will dated June 29, 2022, that was published Monday by the Vatican.

His chosen resting place is the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore (St. Mary Major), one of the main four churches of Christendom in Rome.

In his final testament, Pope Francis asked to be buried "in the earth, simple, without particular decoration" and with the inscription only of his papal name in Latin: Franciscus. — Reuters