Tens of thousands file into St. Peter's Basilica to pay final respects to Pope Francis

VATICAN CITY (AP) — So many mourners lined up to see Pope Francis lying in state in a simple wooden coffin inside St. Peter’s Basilica that the Vatican kept the doors open all night due to higher-than-expected turnout, closing the basilica for just an hour and a half Thursday morning for cleaning.

The basilica was bathed in a hushed silence as mourners from across the globe made a slow, shuffling procession up the main aisle to pay their last respects to Francis, who died Monday at age 88 after a stroke.

The Vatican said more than 90,000 people had paid their respects by Thursday evening, a day and a half after opening. The basilica closed for just a short time Thursday morning, and will stay open Thursday night as long as there are mourners, the Vatican said.

The hours spent on line up the stately via della Conciliazione through St. Peter's Square and through the Holy Door into the basilica has allowed mourners to find community around the Argentine pontiff's legacy of inclusion and humble persona.

Emiliano Fernandez, a Catholic from Mexico, was waiting in line around midnight, and after two hours still had not reached the basilica.

“I don't even care how much time I wait here. It's just the opportunity to (show) how I admired Francisco in his life,'' said Fernandez, whose admiration for the pope grew during his 2016 visit to Mexico.

Robert Healy, a pilgrim from Ireland, flew on the spur of the moment from Dublin just to pay his respects.

“I think it's just really important to be here, to show our respect to the Holy Father,'' he said. "We flew from Dublin last night, we’re staying for one day, home tonight then. We just felt it was really important to be here.”

Among the first-day mourners was a church group of 14-year-olds from near Milan who arrived for the now-suspended canonization of the first millennial saint, as well as a woman who prayed to the pope for a successful operation and an Italian family who brought their small children to see the pope’s body.

“We came because we didn’t bring them when he was alive, so we thought we would bring them for a final farewell,’’ said Rosa Scorpati, who was exiting the basilica Wednesday with her three children in strollers. “They were good, but I don’t think they really understood because they haven’t yet had to deal with death.”

Like many others, the Scorpati family from Calabria was in Rome on an Easter vacation, only to be met with the news of Francis’ death on Easter Monday.

Out of devotion to the pope and his message of inclusion, the grieving faithful joined the procession of mourners that wended from St. Peter’s Square through the basilica's Holy Door, with the repentant among them winning an indulgence, a form of atonement granted during the Jubilee Holy Year. From there, the line extended down the basilica’s central aisle to the pope’s simple wooden casket.

After three days of public viewing, a funeral Mass including heads of state will be held Saturday in St. Peter's Square. The pope will then be buried in a niche within the St. Mary Major Basilica, near his favorite Madonna icon.

Italian authorities have tightened security around the Vatican, adding drones to foot and horse patrols to their controls along the Tiber River and Via della Conciliazione, which leads to St. Peter's Square, to secure the area for mourners and foreign delegation expected for the funeral.

The Vatican said 130 delegations are confirmed, including 50 heads of state and 10 reigning sovereigns. Among those confirming their attendance are U.S. President Donald Trump with the First Lady Melania Trump, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The prefect of Rome, Lamberto Giannini, told a news conference on Thursday that “I believe that the ‘security machine’ is ready,'' but will remain flexible and ”ready to reshape and above all transmit a sense of serenity.''

The death of Franci s capped a 12-year pontificate characterized by his concern for the poor and his message of inclusion, but he was also criticized by some conservatives who felt alienated by his progressive outlook.

A procession of priests, bishops and cardinals accompanied Francis’ body Wednesday on its journey from a private viewing inside the Vatican to St. Peter’s Square. The pageantry contrasted with the human interactions of rank-and-file mourners at the public viewing.

Francis lay in state in an open casket, perched on a ramp facing mourners, with four Swiss Guards standing at attention. As the crowd reached the casket, many lifted their smartphones to snap a photo.

One nun accompanying an elderly woman with a cane walked away sobbing, “My pope is gone.’’

Such despair was rare. The mood was more one of gratitude for a pope who had, by example, taught many people to open their minds.

“I am very devoted to the pope,'' said Ivenes Bianco, who was in Rome from Brindisi, Italy, for an operation. ”He was important to me because he brought many people together by encouraging coexistence.'' She cited Francis' acceptance of the gay community and his insistence on helping the poor.

Humbeline Coroy came to Rome from Perpignan, France, for the planned canonization Sunday of 15-year-old Carlo Acutis, which was suspended after the pope’s death. She stayed to pay respects to Francis, enjoying exchanges with Japanese mourners they met as they waited under the sun in St. Peter’s Square.

“For me, it is a lot of things. In my job, I work with disabled children, and I traveled to Madagascar to work with poor people. Being here, and close to the pope, is a way of integrating these experiences, and make them concrete,’’ she said.

Cardinals continued to arrive in Rome for Saturday's funeral, and numbered 113 by Thursday. During a morning session "the cardinals started a conversation on the church and the world,'' the details of which remain private.

No sooner than May 5, after nine days of official mourning, cardinals under 80 years of age will meet in a conclave to choose a new pope. That number is expected to be 134, after Spanish Cardinal Antonio Cañizares said he would not make it to Rome for health reasons. Bosnian Cardinal Vinko Puljic, meanwhile, confirmed his participation after getting cleared by doctors, the Sarajevo diocese said.

“We have not yet opened the Conclave, and one feels that,'' said French Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco, arriving for the cardinals' meeting. "For the moment I do not believe the cardinals are saying ‘who will be the next?’ For the moment we are here completely for Francis.”

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AP video journalists Trisha Thomas, Franceso Sportelli and Isaia Montelione in Vatican City and AP writer Jovana Gec in Belgrade, Serbia contributed.

Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle leads a rosary prayer outside the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica, where the late Pope Francis will be buried, in Rome, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, right, leaves after a rosary prayer outside the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica, where the late Pope Francis will be buried, in Rome, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, center, leads a rosary prayer outside the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica, where the late Pope Francis will be buried, in Rome, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

People line up to enter St. Peter's Basilica to pay their respects to Pope Francis lying in state, at the Vatican, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

People line up along Via della Conciliazione avenue to view Pope Francis lying in state inside St. Peter's Basilica, seen in the background, at the Vatican, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

People walk along Via della Conciliazione avenue to line up to view Pope Francis lying in state inside St. Peter's Basilica, seen in the background, at the Vatican, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Carabinieri paramilitary police patrol St. Peter's Square as people line up to enter St. Peter's Basilica where Pope Francis is lying in state, at the Vatican, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

People wait in line under the rain to enter St.Peter's Basilica to view Pope Francis lying in state, at the Vatican, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

A group of four nuns, center left, wait in line with other people to view Pope Francis lying in state inside St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

A faithful holds a rosary while waiting in line to enter St.Peter's Basilica to view Pope Francis lying in state, at the Vatican, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

People line up as they enter St. Peter's Basilica to pay their respects to Pope Francis lying in state, at the Vatican, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

A woman takes a picture of a photograph of the late Pope Francis, that reads "Please, don't forget to pray for me" during a mass in his memory at the Chiesa di Santo Spirito in Sassia outside the Vatican, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

People line up as they enter St. Peter's Basilica to pay their respects to Pope Francis lying in state, at the Vatican, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Faithful pay their respects to Pope Francis lying in state inside St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Faithful pay their respects to Pope Francis lying in state inside St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Cardinal Camerlengo Kevin Joseph Farrell, center right, spreads incense around the body of Pope Francis inside St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, where he will lie in state for three days. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

The body of Pope Francis is carried through St. Peter's Square to St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, where he will lie in state for three days. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

People gather in St. Peter's Square as they await the arrival of the body of Pope Francis, who will lie in state at St. Peter's Basilica for three days, at the Vatican, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Faithful gather to pay their respects to Pope Francis inside St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, where his body will lie in state for three days. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Faithful at St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, April 23, 2025 as the body of the late Pope Francis will lie in state inside St. Peter's Basilica for three days. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

The body of Pope Francis is carried into St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, where he will lie in state for three days. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

A gull flies above people waiting in St. Peter's Square to pay their respects to the late Pope Francis, who will lie in state at St. Peter's Basilica for three days, at the Vatican, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Nuns sit in the Chiesa di Santo Spirito in Sassia, outside Vatican City, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Faithful gather in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, April 23, 2025 as the body of the late Pope Francis will lie in state inside St. Peter's Basilica for three days. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Men attend a rosary prayer for the late Pope Francis, at St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

People queue to pay their respects to the late Pope Francis, who will lie in state at St. Peter's Basilica for three days, at the Vatican, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (Cecilia Fabiano/LaPresse via AP)

MELBOURNE, Australia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 14, 2025--

Compumedics Limited (ASX: CMP), a world leading supplier of innovative medical technology for patient monitoring, has in collaboration with Beijing Fistar and TJNU performed recordings of both adults and children. The site at TJNU is equipped with an Orion LifeSpan™ MEG.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250514323453/en/

‘Most advanced MEG capability anywhere in the world’

Professor Xuejun Bai is Vice President of TJNU, Head of the MEG Laboratory, Director of the Brain Functional Imaging Centre and former Director of the Chinese Psychological Society. He has published more than 300 scientific papers and has been awarded ten patents. Prof. Bai commented:

“ The Orion LifeSpan MEG recently installed by Compumedics at TJNU has been a revolution in our ability to study mental processes of both children and adults, or even the two simultaneously. The system has already proven itself to be extremely sensitive, accurate and reliable. My team have been hard at work doing MEG measurements, analyzing the resulting data and uncovering new neuroscientific findings. I can say without reservation that the Orion LifeSpan has given TJNU the most advanced MEG capability anywhere in the world.”

Ability to Accurately Scan Both Children and Adults

MEG is a functional neuroimaging technique for mapping brain activity. It uses highly sensitive detectors to record the naturally occurring magnetic fields produced by electrical current flows within the brain. Because magnetic fields drop off very rapidly with distance, the sensors should be as close as possible to the sources of the brain signals. A child’s small head in an adult size helmet results in sensors far from the brain, leading to small signals. A dedicated smaller helmet yields clearer and more accurate data. More precise data always leads to better research understanding and improved patient outcomes.

World’s First Recordings

After installation of the Orion LifeSpan™ MEG at TJNU, a series of measurements were undertaken to demonstrate that the theoretical advantage of the system during pediatric recordings would be borne out in practice.

Founder and Executive Chairman Dr David Burton commented: “These recordings represented the first time a single MEG system had delivered high-quality scans for both children and adults. This breakthrough was at the world’s most advanced MEG lab at TJNU, which is equipped with a Compumedics Orion LifeSpan MEG system.

“Compumedics has invested nearly a decade and many millions of dollars to develop the Orion LifeSpan MEG,” he said. “The system represents a major leap in magnetoencephalography, with dual-helmet capability for pediatric and adult brain scanning, fully integrated with our gold-standard brain analytics CURRY software.

“It’s incredibly rewarding to see these efforts translating into strong initial sales, global interest and the potential for improved brain health, among both children and adults worldwide.”

A four-year-old female was presented with a series of tones and measured with both the adult and pediatric helmet. The results showed significantly stronger detection in the pediatric helmet. Localizations showed more precise determination of where the brain had been activated by the tones. The physics of magnetic field decay and the design philosophy of the Orion LifeSpan™ MEG were confirmed

For more information about this study, the Orion LifeSpan™ MEG and Compumedics, visit:https://www.compumedics.com.au/en/blog/compumedics-demonstrates-worlds-first-adult-and-pediatric-optimized-recordings-from-a-single-meg-system-2/

Child in Adult Helmet: The response from the same child measured in the adult MEG helmet. The traces show much lower amplitude and the map is muddied as a result of the lower signal-to-noise ratio.

Child in Pediatric Helmet: Green traces show the signals from the MEG sensors during the child’s listening to tones. The stimulus occurs at time 0 and the clear first response peaks about 0.09 seconds later. The upper color map shows the magnetic fields across the entire head during the recording and the lower shows CURRY®’s calculation of dipolar output that would account for the measured signals.

The same child in a helmet optimized for pediatric measurements.

Five-year-old child in an adult sized MEG helmet.

The resulting functional brain image as shown by CURRY software.

Compumedics Orion LifeSpan MEG system during recording.