Crowds take ghoulish photos of Pope Francis lying in state in sea of phones (2025)

Huge eight-hour queues are building up outside St Peter's Basilica to see Pope Francis lying in state - and some mourners have been taking photographs of his body once they are inside the church

Thousands of mourners are flooding in to the Vatican to see Pope Francis lying in state - and many have taken the opportunity to grab a ghoulish photo of the late pontiff.

The Holy See have said they may have to extend the hours for viewing the pope's coffin tonight after massive crowds lined the streets of the Vatican on Wednesday, hoping to get a glimpse of Francis inside St Peter's Basilica after his death aged 88 on Easter Monday. Queues late in the afternoon were said to be at least eight hours long, while those who do make it inside the chapel will have just a few seconds to look at his body before being swiftly moved on.

In a bid to make the moment last longer, some visitors have been spotted whipping out their camera phones and taking a photo of the pope's body from behind the cordon. One snap taken inside the basilica showed phones being lifted high above the crowd, while some of the faithful also held up homemade banners.

Others chose to mark the sombre occasion in a more traditional way, bowing their head and saying some prayers before they filed past the coffin. Many of those paying respects had originally come to Rome to celebrate Easter, only to be met with the news of Francis' death on Monday.

After being moved om the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta this morning, Francis was laid out in St Peter's Basilica on Tuesday in red robes, holding a rosary and wearing a bishop's mitre. Unlike previous popes, who were displayed on an elevated frame, Francis was placed on the main altar of the 16th-century basilica, facing the pews.

It honoured his requests for the rituals surrounding his death to be simplified, emphasising his vision of a modest papacy more in tune with the world's poor. His body will be on display for three days, before his funeral takes place on Saturday.

One woman who visited the church said she had been in Rome from the southern city of Brindisi for a hospital appointment, but took the opportunity to come and pay her respects.

Describing the moment she walked past the coffin, she told reporters: "It gave me chills. He was important to me because he encouraged co-existence. He brought many people together."

Cardinals, meanwhile, met in private to finalise preparations for Saturday's funeral and plan the conclave to elect Francis' successor. There are 135 cardinals under age 80 and eligible to vote, and the new pontiff is expected to come from within their ranks.

The conclave is not expected to begin before May 5.