Pilgrims and tourists queued for hours to file past the open coffin of the Argentine pontiff, who died on Monday aged 88.
“It felt really good to be in there,“ she told AFP.
Simonetta Marini, a 67-year-old from Rome, praised Francis’s human touch and defence of the world’s underdogs, which helped steer the Catholic Church towards a more inclusive, compassionate path.
Francis was an energetic reformer who took over as leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics in 2013.
Dressed in his papal vestments -- a red chasuble, white mitre and black shoes -- and with a rosary laced between his fingers, the pope’s body has been laid out in a red-lined wooden coffin.
The public viewing continued until midnight Wednesday, then from 7:00am to midnight on Thursday and 7:00am to 7:00pm on Friday. The Vatican said the hours could be extended.
Vincenza Nocilla, a 67-year-old retired nurse, left her home in Formia, south of Rome, at 4:00 am to be among the first to see the pontiff.
An Irish couple said it was a “priority” to see Francis while on holiday in Rome, and hailed his efforts to tackle clerical sexual abuse.
Hours before, a procession of cardinals, clergy and Swiss Guards escorted Francis’s coffin from the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta, where he lived during his 12-year papacy, to St Peter’s, as the basilica’s bells tolled.
Up to 170 foreign delegations are expected, the interior ministry said.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni paid tribute at a special joint session of parliament in Rome, before going to pay her own respects at St Peter’s.
“With him you could talk about everything. You could open up, and tell your story without filters or fear of being judged,“ she said.
Authorities have ramped up security for the funeral. The weekend is already due to be busy because of a public holiday Friday.
Third meeting Thursday
Cardinals from around the world are returning to Rome for the conclave, which should begin no less than 15 days and no more than 20 after a pope’s death.
Cardinals have already met twice, in so-called general congregations -- the first time on Tuesday, when they set the funeral date, and again on Wednesday.
They agreed a plan for the traditional nine days of mourning for the pope, the so-called “novemdiales”, which will run from Saturday until May 4.
At the time of his death, Francis was under doctors’ orders to rest for two months. But the headstrong pope continued to make public appearances despite appearing tired and short of breath.
He died the next morning after having a stroke, then falling into a coma and suffering heart failure, according to his death certificate.
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