Vatican Says 250,000 Mourners Paid Respects To Pope Francis Over 3 Days

13 hours ago Three days of public viewing of Pope Francis’ body by ordinary mourners and statesmen alike have ended. Francis died on Monday at age 88 after suffering a stroke. The Vatican said Friday that around 250,000 mourners filed through St. Peter’s Basilica over the three days to pay their last respects as Francis lay in state in a simple wooden coffin. Hundreds of disappointed people were turned away when authorities closed St. Peter’s Square hours before the viewing period ended. The pope’s casket will be closed and sealed later Friday in the next in a series of carefully orchestrated rites set off by the death of a pope. Francis will be buried after a funeral Mass on Saturday.