Three busloads of Cardinals arrive to pay respects at tomb of Pope Francis and cause media frenzy

LAST UPDATE | 27 Apr

Diarmuid Pepper in Rome

CARDINALS ARRIVED THIS afternoon to much media fanfare at the tomb of Pope Francis in Rome to pay their respects to the pontiff.

Members of the public began visiting the tomb since 7am morning, filing past the simple white tomb in Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica a day after he was remembered at his funeral by hundreds of thousands of mourners from around the world.

So here’s how the line looks for those hoping to see Pope Francis’ tomb, not too sure where it begins to be honest but it’s long @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/H53C2gR7uM

— Diarmuid Pepper (@Diarmuid_9) April 27, 2025

A single white rose was placed on the tomb, which bears only one word: “Franciscus” – the Pope’s name in Latin.

People have waited in long queues throughout the day to be able to pay a short visit to the tomb.

During the late afternoon, members of the College of Cardinals also went to Santa Maria Maggiore to pay their homage to Pope Francis.

Three buses pull up, and they’re full of cardinals coming to pay their respects to Pope Francis @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/xz2Dz4hQQA

— Diarmuid Pepper (@Diarmuid_9) April 27, 2025

Three buses arrived outside the basilica this afternoon transporting cardinals to visit the tomb.

Cardinals are the most senior members of the Catholic clergy after the pope, and it will be from among their ranks that the next pope is chosen.

Behind them, groups of worshippers joined in, while others continued to arrive during the celebration to pay their respects to Pope Francis.

The Cardinals celebrated Second Vespers for Divine Mercy Sunday in Saint Mary Major, after pausing for a moment of prayer at the tomb of Pope Francis. pic.twitter.com/Hl4jgZJZ9q

— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) April 27, 2025

An estimated twenty thousand people had already visited the tomb since the early morning.

The media attention given to the funeral is so intense that large flocks of reporters from organisations all across the globe begun following cardinals as they attended the tomb.

And as the Cardinals departed, some decided to go walkabout instead of boarding the bus, leading to an intense media scrum.

Three bus loads of Cardinals pulled up to Santa Maria Maggiore this afternoon to pay their respects as Francis’ tomb. Some decided to go walkabouts afterwards instead of boarding the bus, and the media scrum was pretty intense. @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/gaagNOnfkY

— Diarmuid Pepper (@Diarmuid_9) April 27, 2025

Meanwhile, the atmosphere outside the basilica was a celebratory one, with teenagers covering the plaza having originally intended to be in Rome for the canonisation of Carlo Acutis.

Some groups were singing and dancing, while some small groups were reciting a Rosary.

Today is the second of nine days of official mourning for Francis.

After the mourning period, a conclave will be held where the cardinals will vote to choose the next pope.

No date has yet been set for the conclave but it must start by 6 May.

Most pontiffs are buried in the Vatican under St Peter’s Basilica but Pope Francis chose his place of rest to be Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica in Rome because it reflects his “humble, simple and essential” life, the archbishop who administers the basilica said on Friday.

And in typical fashion, Francis broke with tradition right at the end, with transgender people, refugees, and prisoners being among the small group who gave Francis his final farewell.

A mass was held in St Peter’s Square this morning for Vatican workers on the second day of the official mourning period.

Before Pope Francis’s death, today had already been marked as an important one in the Catholic Church.

Second day of mourning for Pope Francis to begin with Mass for Vatican workers, but it’s turned into an event for Carlos Acutis, who was due to be canonised today @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/ZVbMrvHyvz

— Diarmuid Pepper (@Diarmuid_9) April 27, 2025

Carlo Acutis, who died as a teenager in 2006, was due to be canonised as a saint today.

The canonisation was postponed after the Pope’s death but many pilgrims who had already made travel arrangements went ahead with their plans to travel to the Vatican to attend the Pope’s funeral instead.

Additional reporting by Lauren Boland