Thousands of people queue in St. Peter's Square to say last goodbye to Pope Francis

After Pope Francis' death, his body was moved to St. Peter's Basilica for the public to pay their respects.

Hundreds of thousands of people gathered to say a final goodbye to the Pope.

Our Choi Soo-hyung reports.

Thousands of people queue in St. Peter's Square to say a last farewell to Pope Francis.

After his body was brought to St. Peter's Basilica, tens of thousands are offering their final goodbye over the three days of public mourning.

“Yeah, it was very, very moving experience to see him so vulnerable after so long being so unwell. A real pleasure and privilege to be there. The queueing was difficult, but it kind of worth it in the end, so a pleasure to, to be there."

"We knew there were many people, so we approached this with calmness. It's an opportunity to be able to pray for our Pope "

Pope Francis’ body, dressed in red vestments and a white miter, was displayed lying at an angle on a simple wooden coffin.

Unlike in the past, his coffin was placed lower, closer to the ground, reflecting his humility and his love for the poor and vulnerable.

Italian media outlets reported that more than 100,000 people were waiting to enter, with lines so long that people had to wait at least four hours to pay their respects inside the basilica.

The Vatican initially planned to accept mourners until midnight on the first day.

On the second day, public mourning will be allowed from 7 AM to midnight local time, and on the final day from 7 AM to 7 PM.

It also stated that the hours could be extended depending on the crowd size.

Pope Francis's funeral mass will be held on April 26th at 10 AM local time, in St. Peter's Square.

The conclave the secret meeting of cardinals is expected to take place between May 5th and 10th.

According to the Associated Press, Cardinal Lazzaro Yoo Heung-sik, the only Korean to attend this conclave, predicted that the meeting would end earlier than expected.

Cardinal Yoo added, "Let us watch and see the will of the Lord."

When asked if the next pope could come from Asia, he answered, "The Lord does not distinguish between East and West."

He is currently serving as the Vatican Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy and was recently listed among the 12 leading candidates for the next pope by Italy's largest daily newspaper, 'Corriere della Sera.'

Choi Soo-hyung, Arirang News.