Il Nuovo Postiglione - Pilgrims flock to pay tribute to pope lying in state

Bells from the basilica rang out as the wooden coffin was carried in procession past packed crowds in St Peter's Square, accompanied by red-robed cardinals and the Vatican's Swiss Guards.

Pilgrims and tourists snapped photos, with some applauding as the procession passed on its way from the Santa Marta residence, where the 88-year-old Argentine pontiff died Monday after a stroke.

Francis's body had been held in the chapel of the Santa Marta, where he lived during his 12-year papacy, but will now lie in state at the basilica until Saturday's funeral.

Anna Montoya, 33, from Mexico, was among those who arrived early to catch a glimpse of a man she said was like "a family member" to her.

"I had to come... it feels like I knew him," she told AFP. "He was a good man. He represented what the church needs to be, what Jesus wanted to teach us."

Francis's coffin was placed before St Peter's Altar of the Confession, where Bernini's bronze baldacchino soars up towards Michelangelo's famous dome. It was placed on a low bier, unlike the higher, more ornate platforms of his predecessors.

The funeral is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of pilgrims as well as world leaders including US President Donald Trump and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as Britain's Prince William.

Afterwards, Francis's coffin will be taken to his favourite church, Rome's papal basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, where it will be interred in the ground and marked by a simple inscription: Franciscus.

- 'Sorely missed' -

Italy is preparing a major security operation for the funeral, with the weekend already due to be busy because of a public holiday on Friday.

Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said authorities were expecting 150 to 170 foreign delegations, and tens of thousands of people.

Barriers have already been installed inside and outside the basilica to control the crowds, security checks have been increased and staff have been distributing bottles of water due to the warm weather.

Pasquale Apolito, a 43-year-old Rome teacher, said he was leaving the city later in the day but wanted to see the pontiff if he could.

"I'm not sure I'll be able to see the body but I wanted to be here today. I felt something inside me this morning that told me to come," he said.

"He was a guide for his capacity to listen, to welcome. He will be sorely missed."

Italy has declared five days of national mourning -- longer than the three days observed for Polish pope John Paul II in 2005, but less than the week declared for Francis by his native Argentina.

- Cardinals meeting -

After the funeral, all eyes will turn to the process to choose Francis's successor as leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.

Cardinals around the world have already been sent letters from the Holy See instructing them to return to Rome to select a new pope.

Only those under the age of 80 are eligible to vote in the conclave, which should begin no less than 15 days and no more than 20 after the death of the pope.

About 60 cardinals of all ages already in Rome met Tuesday to choose the funeral date, in a so-called "general congregation".

A second meeting is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon led by the camerlengo, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who is charged with running the day-to-day operations of the Holy See before a successor to Francis is chosen.

Francis's death came less than a month after he was discharged from the hospital, where he spent five weeks battling pneumonia in both lungs.

Despite doctors calling for two months of rest, Francis continued to make appearances in public during his convalescence, where he appeared short of breath and without energy.

On Easter Sunday, the day before his death, he circled St Peter's Square in his "popemobile" following mass and his traditional address to greet the crowds, stopping to kiss babies along the way.

Sister Maria Guadeloupe Hernandez Olivo, from Mexico, said it was "very hard, very sad" to hear news of his death.

"I did not expect it," she told AFP in St Peter's Square. "I believe he's in a better place, no longer suffering, but I do feel this emptiness for our pastor."

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R.Agosti--INP