More from from Rome and beyond

• ITALY SUSPENDS ALL WEEKEND SPORTS | 7:01 a.m. ET

Italy's highest sport authority announces the suspension of all weekend sport events as a sign of respect for the pope.

Gianni Petrucci, president of Italy's Olympic Committee (CONI), made the announcement of Serie A soccer matches, a playoff deciding the Italian ice hockey title, basketball and volleyball league matches and amateur sports.

• POST OFFICE TO ISSUE SPECIAL STAMP | 6:06 a.m. ET

The Vatican post office says it will issue a special stamp when the pope dies, which can only be used until a new one is elected.

The stamps are valid for the so-called “interregnum,” the time span that begins with the death of the pope and ends when a new one is elected, but other Vatican stamps will also be valid in that period.

The last time the Vatican post office issued vacant seat stamps was 1978, when John Paul the first died.

• VATICAN BUSINESSES OPEN | 5:19 a.m. ET

While the world awaits word on the pope, Vatican businesses such as the pharmacy and post offices open to the public as usual.

Tourists wait patiently in line to go through security screening to enter the basilica — both to visit it and to pray.

Police said they expected hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to arrive in the city over the next few days.

The city transport system said it was expanding service on bus and subway lines to the Vatican. State radio said portable toilets would be installed near the square.

• OBSERVERS WATCH FOR SIGNS | 4:07 a.m. ET

Over the centuries, the most traditional and telling signal that a pope has died has been the tolling of the Vatican’s bells, which prompts churches across Rome to join in. Other signs include the closing of the massive bronze portal beneath a portico off St. Peter’s and drawn shutters in the pontiff’s apartment.

The modern use of Bronze Door is spotty. In 1978, when two popes died in rapid succession, the tradition was ignored. Under normal circumstances, the Bronze Door is closed every night at around 8 p.m. and reopened in the morning. The doors reopened early Saturday.

And papal observers say it’s not clear whether the shutting of the door even in daytime would precede or follow an official announcement. The door remains closed until a new pontiff is elected.

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