Worshippers have been banned from taking pictures of Pope Francis lying in state.
It comes after the Mirror reported yesterday how thousands were distastefully grabbing images and videos of the Pope, to the outrage of other pilgrims. Yesterday, phones could be seen consistently held aloft and in front of at least half those attending to pay respects to the Pontiff. But today the system is entirely different. Now, within 30 feet of the Pope’s body, guards are instructing people to put their phones away and threatening to confiscate them if they do not. It means as the faithful now reach the front of the queue, they are viewing Francis in quiet dignity.
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Getty Images)
One source who was in the queue yesterday and today, said: “Today, there is a totally different approach to yesterday, now there is far more decorum.”
It comes after a shocking image posted to Instagram earlier showed a woman smiling into the camera with the Pope lying in his velvet-lined coffin around 10ft behind her.
Others brought selfie sticks to get a better photograph of themselves near the coffin.
British mourner Catherine Gilsenan, 59, told Brazilian outlet Globo that she was “very emotional” as she waited in the queue to see Francis’ body – but said it was “awful to see so many people taking photos”.
As of 7pm tonight, more than 90,000 people have seen Francis lying in state, and will continue to file in until his coffin is closed tomorrow at 8pm, before his funeral on Saturday.
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More than 50,000 people have so far made their way into St Peter’s Basilica, where the late pontiff will be lying in state until Friday night.
Last night, the Vatican kept the doors of the church open all night to accommodate the higher-than-expected turnout, despite previously saying they would close at midnight.
While his predecessors St John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI were placed upon an elevated platform, Francis’s body rests inside a simple coffin raised only a couple of feet from the floor of the basilica.
On Saturday, he will be laid to rest at the Basilica of St Mary Major in Rome, resting in a humble grave marked only “Franciscus” as per his own wishes.
Catholic tradition dictates that entombment must happen between day four and six after the passing of a pontiff.
Prince William, Keir Starmer and Donald Trump will be among the host of world leaders and dignitaries attending his funeral this weekend, which will be the centre of a multi-million security operation involving army patrols, a no-fly zone and anti-drone weapons.
