The Catholic Church closes a chapter, and the 1.4 billion Catholics bid farewell to Francis, the reformist Pope. This Saturday at 10:00, the funeral mass began in the 'parvis' of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re and attended by 160 foreign delegations, with 50 heads of state and government, including 10 monarchs.
One of the first authorities to arrive was former U.S. President Joe Biden, descending the stairs with his wife, Jill Biden, assisted by a bishop. In contrast, Donald Trump made his appearance just minutes before the start of the rite accompanied by Melania Trump.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whose presence was in doubt yesterday, finally landed in Rome and attended the funeral accompanied by his wife, Olena Zelenska. Both occupied front-row seats among the authorities. The Ukrainian and Donald Trumpbriefly met on the sidelines of the funeral inside the basilica, at a crucial moment for peace negotiations in Ukraine. A few hours earlier, Trump stated that Kiev and Moscow are "very close to an agreement." The meeting would have been "very productive," and more details will be made public in the coming hours.
In a privileged position, closest to the coffin, Argentine Javier Milei was placed for presiding over the country where Francis was born.
The Spanish delegation was led by the King and Queen, who arrived in Rome yesterday and this morning paid their respects before the Pontiff's coffin inside the basilica and then took their seats, next to Trump in a strange turn of protocol. Accompanying the monarchs were Vice Presidents María Jesús Montero, Yolanda Díaz, Chief of Staff Félix Bolaños, and opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijoo.
Around five thousand cardinals, bishops, and priests participated in the funeral mass, which began with the first reading in English, the psalm sung in Latin, and the second reading in Spanish. "In this majestic St. Peter's Square, where Pope Francis celebrated the Eucharist and presided over great gatherings over these 12 years, we are gathered in prayer around his mortal remains with sad hearts but sustained by the certainties of faith, which assure us that human existence does not end in the grave but in the Father's house in a life of eternal happiness," began Re, dean of the College of Cardinals.
"His last image, which will remain in our eyes and in our hearts, is from last Sunday, Easter Sunday, when Pope Francis, despite serious health problems, wanted to bless us from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica and then came down to this square to greet the large crowd gathered for Easter Mass."
With Trump and Zelensky in the front row and the war escalating in violence with the latest deadly Russian attacks in Ukraine, Re referred to one of the Pope's last wishes, expressed in his will when he said he offered his "pain from recent times for peace and fraternity among peoples." "Faced with the outbreak of so many wars in recent years, with inhuman horrors and countless deaths and destruction, Pope Francis tirelessly raised his voice imploring peace and inviting to reason, to honest negotiation to find possible solutions, because war - he said - is nothing but the death of people, the destruction of homes, hospitals, and schools. War always leaves the world worse off than it was before: it is a painful and tragic defeat for everyone."
"Francis spoke of the culture of encounter and solidarity. The theme of fraternity ran through his entire Pontificate with a vibrant tone. It was his global aspiration. Because all the children of the Father belong to the same human family, and no one is saved alone," Re recalled. "'Building bridges and not walls' is an exhortation he repeated many times."
"Full of human warmth and deeply sensitive to current dramas, he shared the concerns, sufferings, and hopes of our time of globalization," he emphasized. "His charisma of welcome and listening, combined with a way of acting in tune with today's sensitivity, touched hearts, trying to awaken moral and spiritual forces."
In his homily, Re paid tribute to the "countless gestures" of Francis in favor of refugees and displaced persons. "It is significant that his first trip was to Lampedusa, an island symbol of the drama of migration with thousands of people drowned at sea," Re emphasized, also recalling his trip to Lesbos and the celebration of a mass at the border between Mexico and the United States.
"The Pope said: 'do not forget to pray for me.' Now, dear Pope Francis, we ask you to pray for us and we ask you to bless the Church, Rome, and the whole world from heaven. As you did on Easter Sunday in a final embrace with the people of God, but also with humanity," Re concluded.
At the moment of the peace greeting, all eyes were on Trump, who shook hands with French President Emmanuel Macron, amid strong tensions between the U.S. and the EU due to the trade war initiated by the American and peace negotiations with Moscow and Kiev outside of Brussels.
The historic meeting in Rome took on the characteristics of a true 'peace summit' when the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and Donald Trump conversed for a few moments and agreed to meet soon, although without specifying a date and place. World leaders thus paid their special tribute to Francis, fulfilling his desire for rapprochement, for "fraternity among peoples," at least during his farewell from this world.
At the end of the ceremony, the delegations from the U.S., Ukraine, and Palestine were the first to leave the square. The coffin was carried on shoulders and placed in a specially adapted Popemobile for a final crowd bath to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. A six-kilometer route that will be taken at a leisurely pace so that people can bid farewell.
Approximately 250,000 people followed the mass from inside the square or in the vicinity of the Vatican City on giant screens installed at various points. Thousands arrived in the early hours to the entrances to secure a spot inside the square, after passing through security checks. Some even spent the night on the street, and two hours before the start of the ceremony, St. Peter's Square was practically full.
Civil Protection established a comprehensive security operation to secure Rome during Francis' funeral and the funeral procession that traveled the nearly six kilometers between the Vatican Basilica and Santa Maria Maggiore, where Francis will rest. Helicopters and drones flew over the ceremony. "Between those present in St. Peter's Square and those along the route, we estimate no fewer than 400,000 people," stated the Italian Interior Minister.