VATICAN CITY — 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 to accommodate the higher-than-expected turnout.
The basilica, which was closed for just an hour Thursday morning for cleaning, is bathed in a hushed silence as mourners from across the globe make a slow, shuffling procession up the main aisle to pay their last respects to Francis, who died Monday after a stroke.
The hours spent in the long line along the stately via della Conciliazione through St. Peter's Square and through the Holy Door into the basilica have allowed mourners to find community.
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