Pope Francis regularly called a church in Gaza to ask how residents there were doing during the Israel-Hamas war. He is remembered as a defender and consoling presence.

It meant a lot to me to see him, he gave us so much,” said one woman who waited in line to file past the pontiff’s casket.

Roger Yu, a gay man from the Philippines who abandoned plans to become a priest, said he was in Italy to pay homage to Pope Francis, a spiritual leader he saw as an inspiring supporter of the LGBTQ community.

A nun reads a book as she waits in line with others to view Pope Francis lying in state inside St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, Thursday, . People stand in line as they wait to enter St. Peter's Basilica to pay their respects to Pope Francis lying in state,

More than 50,000 people have queued in the last 24 hours to pay their respects to Pope Francis at St Peter's Basilica, the Vatican has said. On Thursday morning, the queue to see the Pope, who is in an open coffin,