Thousands pay last respects to Cardinal Vlk

Thousands of people have been paying their last respects to Cardinal Miloslav Vlk, former Archbishop of Prague ahead of Saturday’s funeral. The cardinal’s remains were placed in an open casket in St. Vitus Cathedral on Thursday and can be viewed at the Church Of St. Benedict on Friday between 3pm and 9pm CET. People queued up for close to two hours to pay their respects, with many having travelled from neighbouring countries to do so. Saturday’s funeral at St. Vitus Cathedral will be attended by politicians, cultural figures and church dignitaries from at home and abroad. The funeral mass will be celebrated by Cardinal Dominik Duka, who succeeded Cardinal Vlk as Archbishop of Prague. Cardinal Vlk died last Saturday at the age of 84.