On April 5, 2005, DigitalGlobe’s QuickBird
satellite captured the scene at Vatican City as tens of thousands of
mourners waited to see the body of Pope John Paul II in St. Peter's
Basilica. A steady flow of mourners filed past the late pontiff, who
died on April 2, with some crossing themselves or using mobile
telephones and cameras to take photos as they walked alongside a
red, waist-high barrier about 10 feet from the body.
The basilica remained open for 22 hours a day until the pope's
funeral on April 8. The line, however, did not dissipate during the
basilica’s closure in the early morning hours. Those waiting to see
the pope merely sat down and waited for the Vatican to reopen.
Attendants handed out blankets, as temperatures dipped to 41 degrees
Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius).
According to a Vatican spokesman, more than 1 million mourners filed
past the pope's body in the first 24 hours of viewing. Lines 35
people deep snaked from St. Peter's Square for several blocks behind
the Vatican. Most of those waiting in line—some for as long as 12
hours—were from Italy. But Rome quickly filled with mourners from
outside the country.
As of April 6, about 2 million people had filed briefly past the
body. Among them was a U.S. delegation led by President Bush, who
arrived that evening with two former presidents, Bill Clinton and
George H.W. Bush. The line was frozen about 10 p.m. (4 p.m. Eastern
time), and everyone in the queue at that time was guaranteed of
getting into St. Peter's.
After the public viewing ended, time was allowed for private viewing
by dignitaries and to prepare the basilica for the funeral. Rome
officials estimated that 5 million people came to the Italian
capital city by the time the funeral was finished.
