We enter Santa Maria Maggiore accompanying Sister Esperanza. Her 93 years, her fragile balance, open all doors for her and avoid all lines. The rest of the sisters who traveled with her to Rome this weekend went on a tour, but Esperanza decided to visit the tomb of Francis on her own.
It is only noon and it is already the second time she enters the basilica: "I have encountered guardian angels who have accompanied me, a police officer, this other young man...", says the nun smiling at a Red Cross member who offers her water and leads her directly to a special access for people with reduced mobility. "Pray for me, mother!" says goodbye the volunteer.
Her congregation, Servants of the Poor, Daughters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Granada, had planned the trip to attend the canonization, this Sunday, of Carlo Acutis, known as the Millennial Saint, but the Pope's death has halted everything. "Since the trip was already organized and paid for, we came."
Mother Esperanza has lived to see the death of eight Popes, from Pius XI to Francis. "What sets him apart is his closeness to the people, his concern that the marginalized have a place in many places. The last visit he made was to the prison on Holy Thursday, and for me, that is very important. He has made a radical change to the Church. I shook his hand a few years ago, you know?" she boasts while shielding herself from the sun shining on Rome with a handkerchief given to her by another volunteer.
The nun will see "God willing," a new white smoke between May 5 and 10, when the next conclave is expected. And she shares the majority wish of the faithful present in Rome these days for the next Pontiff to continue the path opened by Francis. "There is a black cardinal who is papabile. I wouldn't mind a black Pope," she points out.
Inside, the niche of "Franciscus" is so austere that it would be hard to find if not for the crowd of cell phones and selfies pointing towards its location, on the side of the impressive Marian temple. His tomb, open to the public since 7:00 this Sunday, has already become the new pilgrimage center of the eternal city.
The lines to visit it exceeded two hours and started on one side of the basilica's exterior, right in front of the Argentine Embassy, the home country of Francis. "At 3:30 in the morning, there were already people waiting," says a police officer controlling the entrances. Dozens of volunteers distribute water bottles, and many pilgrims have brought umbrellas to escape the heat.
Dionasios comes from afar. With his distinctive attire as a priest of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, he attracts attention. In 2016, Francis met with the patriarch of his Church, with 40 million followers, in his effort to fraternize with other religions. "What unites us is much more than what divides us," the Pontiff assured when receiving Abuna Matthias at the Apostolic Palace. "I have come to visit his tomb because he was a good man who sought unity among religions," Dionasios shares.
Amidst the heat and the wait in the long line, a Spanish flag stands out. The group of young people carrying it are from a boarding school in Cantabria and came to Rome for Acutis' canonization, like most of the young people who crowded the streets of the Italian capital this weekend for the mass for the Jubilee of teenagers, where the Pope was going to be present. "We have been in line for two hours, but it's going by very fast. We are singing and praying for the Pope." Yesterday, they watched the funeral from a privileged spot because they spent the night at St. Peter's. "We slept on some stairs, but we wanted to secure a good spot, sitting in the chairs set up in the square. And we weren't the only ones, there were 50 other people."
Yesterday will go down in history as a farewell, that of Francis, which turned into a summit for peace among world leaders. "It was the expression of a Pope who was able to speak to the most important and the smallest with clarity and also seeking justice. I found it very brave that Cardinal (Giovanni Battista Re) spoke about peace in the homily when there are wars and with the leaders present," highlights Mother Cristina María, who accompanies the group of teenagers.
Once inside the basilica, they assure that they will pray for the eternal rest of the Argentine, but also for his successor at the helm of the Vatican. "To the cardinals, we say to let themselves be guided by the Holy Spirit that guides us. We are convinced that the Pope is the one the Lord wants for each moment of the Church. And Francis was that for this moment. He was the Pope of love for the heart, love for the person and love for the Virgin. That's why he asked to be buried here, in Santa Maria Maggiore."