Workers lifted Pope Francis's coffin to travel to Santa Maria Maggiore church. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re blessed the wooden box with holy water and burned incense as a cleansing ritual during the ceremony. Church bells rang exactly at noon local time after the blessing finished. The area fell silent except for helicopter noise overhead.
Earlier, priests wearing white robes walked through the streets around St Peter's Square. They carried golden cups filled with communion wafers for the crowd. People rushed forward to receive communion from these ministers. Many clapped when the choir stopped singing. The large group spread throughout nearby roads to serve everyone attending.
Earlier, priests wearing white robes walked through the streets around St Peter's Square. They carried golden cups filled with communion wafers for the crowd. People rushed forward to receive communion from these ministers. Many clapped when the choir stopped singing. The large group spread throughout nearby roads to serve everyone attending.
