Pope Francis was laid to rest in Rome after a Vatican funeral for the “pope among the people” attended by hundreds of thousands of mourners and world leaders. Such figures are above religion and are closely followed by people of all faiths. In India, too, there was a spontaneous outpouring of grief, just about when we were told that he was progressing well after a long bout of pneumonia. His simple demeanour was above all, a statement of austerity and pious thinking and living. There are reports that he had been invited to India, and that his visit was kept in abeyance, to be realised soon, at suitable dates.
An estimated 4,00,000 people packed St Peter’s Square and lined the streets in Rome to say goodbye to the Argentine born pontiff, in itself a first for the Church, who had led the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics since 2013. During his tenure, he diversified his pick of cardinals from across the globe, including from India. The choice of successor, it is said, has become all that more difficult, considering that a wider section of choices is available. Will we get a first time Pope from Africa, is for instance, a big question. The Conclave for selecting the successor is said to begin after the mourning period gets over.
Simplicity and commoner were his badges in life, and his desire thereafter. The marble tomb was inscribed with just one “Franciscus”, his name in Latin. It was his choice, the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica, as his final resting place, is a fifth-century church located in the centre of Rome that already holds the tombs of seven popes. The last pope to be buried there was Clement IX in 1669.
“A Pope among the people, with an open-heart”, who strove for a more compassionate, Catholic open-minded Church, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re said in his homily. There was applause from the masses gathered under bright blue skies as he hailed the pope’s “conviction that the Church is a home for all, a home with its doors always open”. Francis sought to steer the centuries-old Church into a more inclusive direction during his 12-year papacy, and his death prompted a global outpouring of emotion.
Asked once to comment on the rights of the LGTB community, he said “whom am I to judge”.
A solemn funeral in front of hushed crowds, Francis’s plain wooden coffin, was a testament to a life of humility. Francis was very devoted to the worship of the Virgin Mary and made a point of praying in Santa Maria Maggiore before leaving on trips abroad and upon his return to Rome.
Francis will be the first pontiff in more than a century not to be entombed in St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. The last pontiff to be buried outside the Vatican was Leo XIII in 1903, whose final resting place is the Church of Saint John Lateran, the Cathedral of the bishop of Rome.
More than 50 heads of state were present at the funeral, including US President Trump. India was represented at the highest levels, by President Murmu. Among others present were the Ukraine president, the British prime minister, former US president Joe Biden, and the French president.
