As tens of thousands gathered at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City to honor the late Pope Francis, a wave of controversy has emerged over some visitors taking selfies beside his open casket—some even smiling for the camera and sharing the images online.
“There were people being asked to put their selfie sticks away once they reached the front,” UK tourist Martin Gilsenan told The Mirror. He described an atmosphere of tension, with many visibly upset by others snapping photos, despite clear instructions not to.
“I found the mobile phones very distasteful,” added his wife, Catherine. “I was genuinely surprised that photos were allowed at all.”
While some captured sorrowful expressions in their images, others appeared oblivious to the gravity of the moment. One Instagram user reportedly smiled in a photo just feet from the late pontiff’s body.
An estimated 50,000 people have traveled from around the world to pay their final respects following Pope Francis’s death from a stroke on Easter Monday. Due to the overwhelming turnout, the Vatican kept the basilica open overnight on Wednesday to accommodate the crowd.
