Just one week ago, Pope Francis graced St. Peter’s Square, leading many to believe his health was stabilizing, if not improving.
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However, within hours, the world learned that his heartfelt welcoming of pilgrims this Easter Sunday during a Jubilee Year would mark one of his final public appearances.
In the days that followed, Rome bid farewell to its pope and bishop through a lying-in-state and a funeral that, while more intimate than previous papal farewells, nonetheless became a significant international event. As President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held one-on-one discussions during these challenging times, it became evident that this unexpected diplomatic opportunity could stand as a legacy of Francis’s papacy.
During the homily, Dean of the College of Cardinals Giovanni Battista Re urged the world to carry forward Pope Francis’s mission of supporting the marginalized. He emphasized the pope’s ethos of “building bridges, not walls,” a message that resonates deeply amid today’s numerous conflicts and crises.
Throughout the funeral, tens of thousands gathered in the streets surrounding the Vatican to pay their respects.
As mourners filed through St. Peter’s Basilica to stand before the pope’s coffin, it became evident just how deeply he had touched lives. Although Vatican officials had anticipated a large turnout, the extended public hours for Basilica entry demonstrated their surprise at the overwhelming need for people to say their goodbyes.
This significant event spread across both Vatican City and Rome, representing a centuries-old tradition that has impacted many in the Italian capital. This week, the pope’s choice to be interred in central Rome, rather than within the Vatican walls, led to long lines outside the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore even before the burial took place.
As the first pope to be laid to rest outside of St. Peter’s in over a century, it’s anticipated that Francis’s tomb will soon become a pilgrimage site as soon as it opens to the public.
The impact of this profound moment will be immediate, while any diplomatic repercussions emerging from the papal funeral may take longer to materialize.
Read more: The significance of Francis’s final resting place | Pope’s funeral hears call to ‘build bridges, not walls’ | In pictures: Mourners bid farewell to the ‘people’s Pope’
Edited By Ali Musa
Axadle Times International – Monitoring.
