About 250,000 mourners pay final respects to Pope Francis, Vatican says | Religion News

Vatican says about 250,000 mourners filed through St Peter’s Basilica during a three-day lying in state.

Tens of thousands of people filed into St Peter’s Basilica to pay final respects to Pope Francis on his last day of lying in state before his funeral.

The basilica was open for most of Thursday evening into Friday morning, shutting its doors for only three hours overnight.

Long queues snaked around St Peter’s Square and the surrounding roads, before being funnelled through the heart…