An estimated 61,000 mourners have filed past the coffin of Pope Francis in the first 26 hours of public viewing at St Peter’s Basilica, according to the Vatican.

On the second day of the late pontiff lying in state, crowds continued to gather in Vatican City, with long lines forming as the faithful came to bid their final farewells. Italian authorities have ramped up security ahead of the funeral scheduled for the weekend.

Pope Francis passed away on Monday morning at the age of 88 in his residence at the Vatican’s Santa Marta guesthouse. His death came shortly after a five-week hospital stay where he was treated for double pneumonia.