Dressed down pontiff visits St Peter’s Basilica, and is expected to appear at Easter Sunday mass
Lorena Araujo Piñeiro, a restorer, was putting the finishing touches on the restoration of the 17th-century tomb of Pope Urban VIII, a dark bronze and gold monument in St Peter’s Basilica when she noticed a man wearing a striped poncho-like top, black trousers and no shoes, being pushed in a wheelchair towards her.
“It was around noon and the basilica was practically empty,” said Piñeiro. “I struggled to recognise who it was … I thought he was a simple pilgrim. It was as if he’d just got out of bed.”
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