Pope Francis Funeral Latest: The Vatican says it could extend the visual times as thousands flow to pay final respect

Hong Kong’s free -speaking Roman -Catholic Cardinal Joseph Zen was allowed to leave the southern Chinese city to attend Pope Francis’ funeral in the Vatican City.

Zen, a 93-year-old retired bishop, left Hong Kong last night after applying to a court to get his passport back, his secretary said.

Authorities confiscated his passport after his controversial arrest during a Beijing-imposed National Security Act in 2022.

Zen is among the critics in recent years who have said the Vatican’s agreement with Chinese authorities on the appointment of bishopes betray pro-Vatican Chinese Catholics.

He has also criticized State Secretary Pietro Parolin, the official who is charged with negotiations with Beijing, as a “man with a little faith.”

The Vatican can extend the time frame for pilgrims to respect Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Basilica Until Midnight in Rome because of the large number of visitors, it said in a statement on Wednesday.

Francis, who died at the age of 88 Monday, is in the state for three days.

The Vatican had originally planned to close a visit by midnight Wednesday and Thursday and at. 19 on Friday, after which Francis’ coffin would have been closed and sealed.

But these timings can now be changed after tens of thousands flowed to see Francis lying in the state on Wednesday and queuing long at night.

Francis’ funeral, which will be attended by Dignitarian from all over the world, is nominated for Saturday at. 10 at St. Peters Square.

The secret encounter with cardinals, known as the conclement, usually begins between 15 and 20 days after the death of a pope.

But if the Cardinals agree, it could start earlier by choosing Pope Francis’ successor.

After the grief period, May 5 sees a probable date when it had to start, said Joe Ronan, who works with the Catholic Voices Media Charity.

Only cardinals who were 80 years or less on the day of the pope’s death have a vote.

While there must be at least 120 cardinals – senior members in the Catholic Church – in the Conlamer, Mr Ronan said there are currently about 135 cardinals in the right to vote.

The Conlamer is summoned in the Sistine Chapel, where there can be up to four votes every day.

There is no fixed time for the conclement to choose a new pope, and if it continues for a long time, it is possible for the Cardinals to take a break and have a non-voicing day.

A two -third majority is required for a new pope to be elected.

Each time the voting is burned, the ballot papers are then burned with black smoke from a chimney of the Sistine chapel, which indicates that no one has been selected. The white smoke confirms a new pontiff.

Mr. Ronan said there is expected to be a double confirmation to avoid confusion: “As well as the white smoke, I think they will also ring the bells in St. Peters as a double control.

“These days they go to great pain to make sure the smoke color is very clear, sometimes (earlier), you’ve had some kind of gray color.”

A huge collection of the Catholic faithful meets to mourn over the loss of Pope Francis in the coming days, followed by the secret and potentially long -term process of cardinals choosing a new pontiff.

The church is currently in “Sede vacant” or “the unemployed see”. This happened at the moment of the Pope’s death.

After the funeral, “novemdiali” takes place – nine days of official grief. The funeral marks the first day of this period with the last day of May 4th.

Every day after the funeral, a lot is held at St. Peter’s basilica, which will be led by another cardinal.

Only cardinals are allowed to summarize the masses dedicated to the papal chapel on April 30 and May 4, according to reports.

The Cardinals met yesterday in private to end the preparations for Saturday’s funeral and plan the Conlamer to choose Francis’ successor.

Pope Francis chose St Mary Major as his resting place, approx. 4 km from the Vatican, which marks a break from tradition as most popes were buried on the Vatican grounds.

The basilica was important to the pope because it was his favorite place to pray. He prayed there before and after every international trip.

The funeral is set for Saturday at. 10 (local time) at St. Peters Square. It will be attended by world leaders, including US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Francis’ death and burial will initiate a carefully orchestrated transitional period in the 1.4 billion-strong Catholic Church, where Cardinals gather in the coming days before entering a conclave, the secret ritual vote in the Sistine Chapel to choose a new pope.

Thousands of people filed through St. Peter’s Basilica Wednesday to pay their final respect to Pope Francis at the start of three days of public viewing prior to his funeral.

The trophies of the faithful went to the 16th century Basilica’s main altar, where Francis’ open wooden chest was seated when Swiss guards were under attention.

Over the coming days, tens of thousands of people are expected to pass through, and the Vatican said it can make visual times even longer due to high turnout. In the first 8.5 hours, 19,430 people paid their respect for the pope.

Francis was laid out in red covers, clinging a rosary and wearing a bishop’s miter, the traditional pointed headgear. Mournful waited hours to reach the coffin behind a leash. Some kept their phones high as they approached to flip photos in what has become a modern ritual. “It gave me chills,” Ivives Bianco said when she left.

She was in Rome from the southern city of Brindisi for medical treatment and came to pay her respect. “He was important to me because he encouraged coexistence. He brought many people together.

“Francis’ coffin was not put on an elevated bees – as was the case with previous pavers – but placed on a ramp facing the teeth.

It was in line with his wishes that the rituals around a papal burial should be simplified to reflect his belief that the pope’s role is the simple pastor, not the world leader.

Pope Francis chose St Mary Major as his resting place, approx. 4 km from the Vatican.

It marks a break from tradition as most popes were buried on the Vatican grounds – the last pope that was not in 1903.

The basilica was important to the pope because it was his favorite place to pray. He prayed there before and after every international trip.

“I’ve always had a great devotion to St Mary Major, even before I became a pope,” he wrote in his book from 2024 El Sucesor.