Almost 130,000 people have come to the St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican since Wednesday to pay their last respects to the late Pope Francis. The aforesaid cathedral closed at 2:30am last night and reopened at 5:40am Friday—on the last day of the wake, informs the Holy See press service.

The closing ceremony of the pope’s coffin will take place Friday evening. The Vatican said that Francis' face will be covered with white silk and sprinkled with holy water before the coffin lid is closed.

The coffin will contain coins and medals minted during Francis’ papacy, as well as a metal case with a scroll containing a description of his papacy.

But when he was alive, Francis had changed the order of papal funerals for himself to some extent. Thus, he abolished the tradition of three coffins of cypress, zinc, and wood. He wanted to be buried in a simple wooden coffin. But, a zinc lid is necessary.

Francis had expressed his wish to be buried in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major (Santa Maria Maggiore), one of the major papal basilicas where seven popes are already buried.

The Pope Francis’ funeral will take place on Saturday, and will be attended by heads of state and government, crowned heads, and representatives of various churches.

Pope Francis died Monday morning at the age of 88. He had served as the head of the Roman Catholic Church since 2013.