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Mourning Pope Francis: A Solemn Farewell
The body of Pope Francis has been transferred to St. Peter’s Basilica, where mourners have gathered to pay their final respects ahead of his funeral scheduled for Saturday.
In a respectful procession on Wednesday morning, Pope Francis’s open coffin was carried through St. Peter’s Square, witnessing the presence of around 20,000 pilgrims, according to Vatican media reports.
As the coffin traversed the square, bells tolled, and the crowd showed their appreciation with applause, a traditional gesture of reverence in Italy.
Pope Francis, who passed away at the age of 88 on Monday due to complications from a stroke and double pneumonia, had been in the hospital for five weeks earlier this year. He made history as the first Latin American leader of the Catholic Church, serving for 12 years.
The procession was accompanied by red-robed cardinals and white-clad priests, carrying the Pope’s coffin from his residence at Casa Santa Marta to the basilica in a journey that lasted just under 40 minutes. The Swiss Guards, tasked with the Pope’s safety, escorted the coffin to the altar within the church.
His body will remain in state at St. Peter’s Basilica until Friday evening, with public viewing commencing at 11:00 local time on Wednesday. Mourners arrived early to pay homage, with many joining the procession along the way.
Among the attendees were Luis and Macarena, a couple from Mexico celebrating their honeymoon. They had hoped to receive a special blessing from the Pope. Luis remarked that seeing the Pope’s final resting place offered them a profound sense of connection. “Pope Francis is a saint and he will bless us from heaven,” he stated.
Mary Ellen, an American residing in Italy, made the journey to the Vatican on an overnight train to bid farewell. “I love Papa Francesco,” she expressed, highlighting his humility, kindness, and compassion for immigrants. She acknowledged his resilience in the face of challenges within the Vatican and the moral stance he maintained as a true Christian and Catholic.
Another mourner, Fredrik from Ghana, now residing in Poland, reflected on the Pope’s contributions and expressed hope for continuing his legacy of good works. Eva Asensio, a visitor from Mexico, shared her emotional connection to the Argentine Pope. “We saw him as a good Pope – someone who supported everyone, regardless of sexual orientation or origin,” she noted with tears in her eyes.
Margaux, a French resident of Rome, described the experience as “powerful” and regarded Pope Francis as a symbol of hope, emphasizing the significance of his progressive views. She voiced a wish that the next Pope would carry on his path.
World leaders, including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Prince William, are expected to attend the funeral on Saturday. In keeping with his personal preferences for simplicity, Pope Francis had expressed a desire for a modest ceremony, with arrangements made for a benefactor to cover the costs.
In a departure from the tradition of his predecessors, he will not be interred at St. Peter’s but will instead find his resting place in a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary in central Rome, marked by a tombstone engraved solely with his name.
Prior to the move to St. Peter’s, his body lay in an open coffin within the chapel of his residence, watched over by the Swiss Guards and cardinals in a solemn atmosphere of prayer.
His last public appearance occurred on Easter Sunday, where he delivered brief remarks from a wheelchair to the gathered masses in St. Peter’s Square, followed by blessings for worshippers and infants from his vehicle as he passed through the crowd.
The period known as Sede Vacante, or “empty seat,” has commenced, indicated by the sealing of the Papal apartments with wax, until the election of a new pontiff.
Source
www.bbc.com