It was supposed to be quiet. Sacred. A final moment with Pope Francis, lying in state in St. Peter’s Basilica, rosary in hand, draped in red.
Instead, there were flashes. Camera phones. Selfie sticks.
Earlier that morning, pallbearers had carried his body into the Basilica for the start of a three-day vigil. Thousands stood in line to see him.
What began as a solemn goodbye turned into a scene that left many irritated. Some were there to pray. Others came to pose.
Catherine and Martin Gilsenan had traveled from Wimbledon, South West London. Both 59, both lifelong Catholics. They stood in line for hours to pay their respects. But what they saw inside the Basilica enraged them.
“I was very moved coming so close to Pope Francis but it was awful seeing so many people taking pictures,” Catherine said. “Around half the people near us wanted to pay respects at the coffin, but the other half were all taking photographs.”
“We kept our phones very firmly in our pockets and would never dream of doing something so distasteful,” she continued. “People had been told not to use selfie sticks but lots ignored the warning. I saw the Queen lying in state in London and there was no comparison, his really detracted from the moment.”
𝐏𝐈𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐋: 𝐕𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐭
The Vatican on Tuesday published the first photo and video of Pope Francis lying in state, showing the late Pontiff in an open coffin dressed in red… pic.twitter.com/Y7BdyhJf6V
— David Pine (@DavidPine_) April 22, 2025
Martin added, “We were staying 100 miles from Rome when we heard he’d died and felt obligated to join the queue. Francis was a great Pope and we admired him for changing the direction of the Church and shifting its appeal to young people. It was sad to see such disrespectful behavior.”
But not everyone saw it that way.
Matheus Silva, 27, had flown in from Argentina. He took pictures too, and didn’t feel bad about it.
“The first Pope who spoke up for gay people like me,” he said. “Others were doing the same and I’m happy to share them.”
Still, for many, it felt wrong. A holy space turned into a photo op.
Pope Francis passed away on April 21 at age 88. He suffered a cerebral stroke that led to cardiac collapse.
Thousands of mourners witnessed the body of Pope Francis being moved through St. Peter’s Square and into St. Peter’s Basilica, where it will lie in state for three days until his funeral. CNN’s Anderson Cooper reports from Vatican City. pic.twitter.com/RCIVydca7A
— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) April 23, 2025
His funeral is set for Saturday at 8:00 a.m. GMT. Over 250,000 people are expected. President Donald Trump will attend, along with Argentina’s President Javier Milei. Francis will be buried at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, not St. Peter’s, by his own request. He asked for a simple grave. No gold. No grandeur. Just his name, carved in stone.
Maybe that’s the memory he wanted people to take with them. Not a photo.
