By Andrew Martins
The first Latin American
pontiff, who died Monday at 88 after a transformative 12-year papacy, was
carried through the Eternal City in a repurposed white popemobile, his simple
wooden coffin applauded by crowds lining the streets. His final journey passed
landmarks like the Colosseum and the Roman Forum before reaching his resting
place beside a revered icon of the Virgin Mary.
A Global Gathering in St.
Peter’s Square
Under hazy Roman skies, the
faithful began gathering before dawn. By 8 a.m., the square was packed, teenage
pilgrims in rainbow sun hats, nuns in gray veils, priests in crimson robes, all
standing shoulder-to-shoulder under the shadow of Michelangelo’s dome.
Jessica, 22, from Mexico, and
Cyril, 20, from the U.S., secured a front-row spot after arriving at daybreak.
"We sacrificed sleep, but it was worth it," Jessica said. "My
family back home won’t believe I was here."
Security was unprecedented:
8,000 Italian police officers, firefighters, and even park rangers, many with
regional accents from Milan to Sicily, managed a delicate balance between
accessibility and protection for dignitaries like President Biden, French
President Emmanuel Macron, and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky.
A Funeral of Symbols and Subtle
Diplomacy
The Mass, led by 91-year-old
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, echoed traditional Catholic rites, readings in
multiple languages, hymns in Latin, but its political undertones were
unmistakable.
Cardinal Re’s homily emphasized
Francis’s legacy of peace, recalling his first papal trip to Lampedusa, a
gateway for Mediterranean migrants, and his Mass at the U.S.-Mexico
border. "War leaves the world
worse than it was," he intoned, urging leaders to "build bridges, not walls."
The message resonated with
mourners like Maria from Sardinia: "These
leaders decide between war and peace. Let’s hope they listened." Her
friend Grazia added wryly, "Otherwise,
their presence was just hypocrisy."
An Unplanned Diplomatic
Encounter
Eyes turned when Presidents
Trump and Zelensky, whose February Oval Office meeting had ended in acrimony, were
photographed deep in conversation inside St. Peter’s. The 15-minute discussion,
Zelensky later said, had "historic potential."
No details emerged, but social
media buzzed about the "miracle" of their détente.
Nearby, Macron and Britain’s Keir Starmer stood with hands on Zelensky’s
shoulders, a silent show of Western unity.
The Final Procession
After communion, incense
swirled as Cardinal Re blessed the coffin. The basilica’s bells tolled three
times, and the hearse began its slow march through Rome.
An estimated 140,000 people
clapped as the procession crossed the Tiber. By 3 p.m., the live feed cut as
Francis was interred, a humble end for the pope who championed the poor.
What Comes Next
With the funeral over, leaders
dispersed, Trump to Air Force One, others to sideline meetings. But Francis’s
words lingered in the square, where pilgrims still knelt in prayer.
"He
showed us how to live," said a Jesuit priest from
Argentina, "but the world
must choose whether to follow."
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