By Janet Ekstract NEW YORK -On Saturday morning, St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City was the backdrop for the funeral of Pope Francis, 88 who passed away on April 21, the day after Easter this year and was widely admired by a broad spectrum of humanity and ethnic groups. World leaders and dignitaries from across the globe were present including U.S. President Donald Trump and his wife Melania as well as Ukrainian President Zelensky whose appearance prompted spontaneous applause from the crowd. Also, high-level officials from indigenous groups who Pope Francis deeply admired, were also present as well as the thousands of people who came out to pay their last respects to Pope Francis. The pall bearers all bowed in front of the coffin before taking their leave while hundreds of cardinals and bishops made their way in a procession to the pope’s coffin to pay their last respects. In life as in death, Pope Francis was known as the compassionate pope who was the first pope to acknowledge the LGBTQ community within the Catholic church. Pope Francis was also the first pope to formally apologize for sexual abuse committed by priests in the Catholic church and had traveled to Canada to formally apologize to the indigenous community for abuses it suffered at the hands of priests there.
Pope Francis is truly considered the people’s pope and in his eulogy to Pope Francis, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re made a point of emphasizing that. Reading in memory of Pope Francis, Cardinal Battista Re said the pope’s memory will be “ethched” in everyone’s mind for greeting people from his popemobile on Easter mass despite his illness. As Cardinal Battista Re said: “He always sought to shed light on the problems of our time and the wisdom of the gospel,” adding “He sought to reawaken moral and spiritual sensibilities.” Cardinal Battista Re spoke of the Pope’s love of helping those downtrodden and hopeless when he remarked that the pope: “With a clear missionary vision, he spread the joy of the gospel.” The Cardinal also highlighted the belief of Pope Francis that “the church was a home for all, with its doors open. A church determined to take care of the people, a church capable of bending down to every person, regardless of their beliefs or conditions.” Cardinal Re also praised the pope’s dedication to displaced persons and refugees, highlighting Pope Francis’s first journey to Lampedusa, where numerous refugees were housed. The Cardinal highlighted the celebration of mass on the border of Mexico and the U.S. that was only one of the “47 epic arduous journeys” he said that Pope Francis made during his time as pope. Cardinal Re especially emphasized the pope’s trip to Iraq in 2021 that he said “will remain memorable” that the Cardinal explained“was a balm on the open wounds of the Iraqi people,” who he said had suffered so much from ISIS. Cardinal Battista Re mentioned that it was a significant example of the “pastoral work” of Pope Francis, adding that, “The pope reached the most peripheral periphery in the world” when he went on a trip to four Asian countries. He said that Pope Francis believed that “mercy is the heart of the gospel,” which he added was also close to the pope’s heart because “he spoke of the culture of encounter, the culture of solidarity.” Coincidentally, after the funeral, the BBC noted that Trump and Zelensky were seen sitting together in deep conversation – the first time the two leaders have spoken since Zelensky’s White House meeting.
Concluding the ceremony, Cardinal Battista Re said of Pope Francis: “He wanted to revive a worldwide aspiration to fraternity because we are all children of the same Father who is in heaven. He reminded us that we all belong to the same human family and that no one can be saved alone.” The Cardinal also reiterated how crucial it was that Pope Francis had “signed a document for world peace and living together.” Cardinal Re remarked that Pope Francis was “Addressing men and women throughout the world, he drew attention to our duties and shared responsibility to our common home.” He added: “Pope Francis incessantly raised his voice imploring peace” in the face of inhuman wars “calling for reason and calling for honest negotiation to find possible solutions.” Cardinal Re added the popes view on wars: “War always leaves the world worse than it was before, it is always a painful and tragic defeat for everyone.” The Cardinal said that the Pope’s refrain was always to “Build bridges not wars” – an declaration that he repeated many times, the Cardinal reiterated. He said that Pope Francis was always “linked to the service of humanity” and said that the pope used to conclude his speeches with “Do not forget to pray for me.” Then Cardinal Battista Re said: “Now dear Pope Francis, we now ask you to pray for us,” and we ask you that from heaven, you may bless the Church, you may bless Rome and bless the whole world as you did last Sunday from this Basilica in a final embrace for the entirety of humanity.” He concluded by saying that everyone ”holds high the torch of hope.” At the close of the funeral, everyone was asked to wish one another peace by greeting those standing near them. Then the pope’s coffin was taken to Rome where it will be entombed at the Basilica of St. Mary Major (Basilica di Maria Maggiore). Pope Francis will be the first pope to be buried outside of the Vatican in over a century and the entombment will be a private ceremony. It was Pope Francis who requested he be buried there because he was a devotee of the Virgin Mary and was known to have an affinity with the Virgin Mary. Pope Francis was also a Jesuit – a Catholic order of priests known for their education and missionary work.
