Dozens of Catholics living in or currently visiting Athens are paying their respects to Pope Francis at the Catholic Cathedral of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite. The pontiff passed away on Easter Monday morning at the age of 88. His funeral will be held on Saturday, while his body will lie in state for public viewing starting Wednesday.
In Athens, a condolence book has been placed at the Cathedral of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite since Tuesday morning, accompanied by a portrait of Pope Francis.
Faithful visitors continue to arrive, each offering their emotional farewell to the “Pope of the Poor,” as he became known by many.
The Vatican has released the first images of the late Pope Francis’s body, taken inside the chapel of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. As previously revealed, Pope Francis had expressed his wish to be buried “in the ground, without elaborate decoration,” with only his papal name inscribed in Latin: Franciscus.
In the photos published by the Catholic Church, the pontiff is seen dressed in papal vestments, holding a rosary. The body of Pope Francis rests on an elevated platform within the church and is guarded by the Vatican’s Swiss Guard, easily recognizable in their traditional medieval uniforms.
According to Vatican News, during the ceremony at the chapel of Santa Maria Maggiore, the official declaration of death was read aloud. The act was confirmed by Cardinal Farrell, and the process lasted just under an hour.
Greece is a predominantly Eastern Orthodox country, but there are an estimated 60,000 indigenous Greeks who are Roman Catholics located primarily on the islands of Syros, Tinos, and Rhodes. In total, there are over 200,000 Roman Catholics in Greece, with most of them residing in the capital of Athens.
