Thousands honor Pope Francis while a nun stands in silence near the casket

VATICAN CITY - Thousands of people poured into St. Peter's Basilica on Wednesday to pay their final respects to Pope Francis, whose body is lying in state for three days ahead of his funeral on Saturday.

Sr. Genevieve Jeanningros, a nun from the Roman seaside town of Ostia, who hosted Pope Francis several times in the past stood by his casket and cried.

Crowds stretched down the main boulevard leading through Rome into the Vatican, pressing forward slowly in warm spring sunshine as people took their turn to see the late pontiff in his open coffin.

The body of the 88-year-old pope, who died two days ago in his rooms at the Vatican's Santa Marta guesthouse after suffering a stroke, was brought to St. Peter's in a solemn procession earlier on Wednesday.

Red-hatted cardinals, bishops, candle-carrying friars and helmeted Swiss Guards walked slowly into the vast square in front of the basilica as a choir chanted psalms and prayers in Latin while a bell gently tolled.

As the coffin crossed St. Peter's Square, a crowd of several thousand broke into repeated applause - a traditional Italian sign of respect at such events.

"He's like a member of the family. Somebody very close to our hearts, somebody who made the Church very accessible to everybody and inclusive to everybody," said Rachel Mckay, a pilgrim from Britain.

Vatican officials helped 14 white-gloved, black-suited pallbearers carry the coffin up a stone incline, before the procession passed through St. Peter's giant bronze doors and into the hushed interior of the ornate, cavernous church.

Francis, who had only recently left hospital after five weeks being treated for double pneumonia, last appeared in public on Sunday, when he delighted onlookers gathered to celebrate Easter by being driven around the packed square in his white, open-topped popemobile.

Mixture of emotions

As the formal ceremony to bring the pope's body to the basilica was ending, Sor Genevieve, a nun from the Roman seaside town of Ostia, stood by his casket and cried.

Jeanningros, known for her work with the LGBTQ community, had hosted Francis for visits in Ostia several times.

Crowds were guided through the central nave of the basilica to come forward and offer respects.

Francis was dressed in red vestments, his hands clasped together holding a rosary, and a white miter on his head.

Francis' body will lie in state in St. Peter's Basilica until Friday evening. The Vatican had originally planned to close Wednesday's visits at midnight (2200 GMT), but said it may extend the timeframe, due to a "high flow" of pilgrims.

In the first 8-1/2 hours of viewing, some 19,430 people filed infront of the coffin, with thousands more waiting patiently in a line that snaked around the security barriers across the cobbled esplanade outside the church.

Saturday's funeral will draw heads of state and government from around the world, including U.S. President Donald Trump, who clashed repeatedly with the pope on social issues such as immigration.

Leaders from Italy, France, Germany, Britain, Ukraine, Brazil, EU institutions and Francis' home nation of Argentina have also confirmed their presence, among many others. — Reuters