Pope Francis died early Monday morning at the age of 88. According to tradition, thus began nine days of mourning. By the end of this month, roman catholic cardinals will have at least begun the process of selecting the successor.
The pope’s body has been lying in state in the Vatican chapel of Casa Santa Marta, his former residence. On Wednesday, his coffin will be transferred to St. Peter’s Basilica. His funeral will take place on Saturday and is expected to be attended by tens of thousands of mourners.
According to his wishes, Pope Francis will be buried in another church in Rome, the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major.
Then, cardinals from all over the world will gather at the Vatican to begin the election process for a new pope. According to tradition, the cardinals are expected to elect a new pope within 15 to 20 days.
Seàn-Patrick Lovett, the former head of English communications of the Vatican, shared what the atmosphere will be like for the next month.
“There really is an emptiness, there’s a void, there’s a great sense of silence, and I think that’s what the nine days of mourning are for. It’s really a sense of quiet just to think and reflect on what this man’s legacy is,” Lovett said.
Tourists have traveled from all over the world to come to Rome and pay their respects to Pope Francis.
New Jersey local, Diane Schullman, was on a scheduled tour through Europe when the news broke.
“This is our first day touring, really, because last night we just got in and we came and went to the church, and it was beautiful. So, yeah, we kind of feel like we’re part of history here,” Schullman said.
Michel Versteegh traveled to Rome from the Netherlands with his wife. They came to the Vatican for Easter Mass and were still in Rome the next day.
“We heard the news that the Pope passed, and it just hit us. We wanted to be at the spot where it all happened, and we felt drawn again today to come back,” Versteegh said.
Versteegh was last in Rome 10 years ago, but his experience this time is very different.
“There’s just so many people around here, but in a way, it’s also a shared feeling between all the people in mourning together. It makes it special to be here with all those people,” Versteegh said.
As the size of crowds around the Vatican continues to grow, the Vatican has increased its security. However, for mourner Rosemarie Miranda, who’s originally from Bolivia, the crowds are not her initial focus.
“I didn’t put much attention [to] that, because it was more [about] being here,” Miranda said.
Lovett says the Vatican, including St. Peter’s Basilica, remains open to visitors. As cardinals from all around the globe prepare to begin the election process, Lovett believes the choice they make will reflect the world today.
“The Pope is not just a figurehead for the Catholic Church. He’s a voice of reason in a very unreasonable and chaotic world. So whoever they choose is important, because what that voice says, what that person represents, will have repercussions for the world in which we live in right now,” Lovett said.
Lovett added that it’s not a matter of politics, but the right fit.
“It’s not a question of left or right, conservative, progressive. It’s a question of who is the right person at this moment in our history, at this moment, in a very divided and very confused world,” Lovett said.
This story had reporting contributions from Stephen Knobel and Sophie Sullivan.