JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Dozens of world leaders, including President Trump, will be among those attending Pope Francis' funeral on Saturday. Today, his casket was moved to lie in state at St. Peter's Basilica. For three days, mourners will be able to pay their respects. NPR's Ruth Sherlock was with them in St. Peter's Square.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELLS TOLLING)
UNIDENTIFIED CHOIR: (Singing in non-English language).
RUTH SHERLOCK, BYLINE: Bells tolled, and a choir sang as Pope Francis' body was carried in an open casket across St. Peter's Square.
UNIDENTIFIED CHOIR: (Singing in non-English language).
SHERLOCK: Mourners clapped as the coffin slowly processed inside the basilica, where Francis will lie in state for three days. A long line of people formed, some holding umbrellas to shield them from the sun, waiting to go inside to see him.
MARGARITA HARVEY: Because he's our leader. He's my leader. I admire him. I think he is the vicarious of Christ.
SHERLOCK: Margarita Harvey is from El Salvador and lives in Pennsylvania. She's been waiting since just after dawn.
HARVEY: I know he's in heaven right now. I know his body is here, but his soul is already getting what he worked for. He did so many good things for us that I'm sure he's resting in peace and glory with God and the angels.
SHERLOCK: As we prepare to go into St. Peter's Basilica, I meet Natalia Tsarkova, an official portrait artist for the Vatican.
NATALIA TSARKOVA: (Speaking Italian).
SHERLOCK: Tsarkova says she's painted four of the last popes. We go in together.
OK, I'm walking inside the basilica - wow - gold-leaf ceiling, ornate marble statues.
Hundreds of people move forward slowly up the basilica aisle towards the altar and the cupola under which Pope Francis lies.
TSARKOVA: (Speaking Italian).
SHERLOCK: Tsarkova whispers to me that she's come to thank Francis for all that he gave to her and to the world in his life.
TSARKOVA: (Speaking Italian).
SHERLOCK: And she says, "it's important as we approach his casket to pray, to help him in this moment, to help his spirit rise."
We reach the front, where he lies in the simple wooden casket lined with velvet that he requested.
He looks small, in some ways, in his coffin. You can see it's a body of a person who's no longer there. His casket is low so that people can see him. People are coming away crying.
TSARKOVA: (Crying) So I'm emotional (ph).
SHERLOCK: It's so emotional, of course.
TSARKOVA: (Crying).
SHERLOCK: Pope Francis had a human touch. Wearing simpler robes and his plastic watch even as pope, he seemed to try to keep a little of the ordinary, even in his very extraordinary job.
UNIDENTIFIED MOURNERS: (Singing in non-English language).
SHERLOCK: And now that interest and affection he showed for people is coming back to him.
UNIDENTIFIED MOURNERS: (Vocalizing).
SHERLOCK: I walk out of St. Peter's Basilica, past the long lines of faithful, some of whom sing as they wait to say goodbye to their pope.
UNIDENTIFIED MOURNERS: (Singing in non-English language).
SHERLOCK: Ruth Sherlock, NPR News, Rome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
