Vatican City, April 26 (IANS) The funeral mass ceremony of Pope Francis, that began Saturday afternoon, India time, in the iconic Baroque plaza before St. Peter’s Basilica, is being attended by several top world leaders, including US President Donald Trump. According to the Vatican authorities, approximately 200,000 people have gathered for the funeral of Pope Francis.
Additionally, more than 100 delegations have come together to pay respects to the late leader of the Catholic Church, who will be laid to rest in the Italian capital on Saturday.
The Solemn and moving celebration was presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re joined by some 250 Cardinals, Patriarchs, Archbishops, Bishops, priests, and consecrated religious.
“We are gathered with sad hearts in prayer around his mortal remains,” Cardinal Re said in his homily at the funeral Mass for Pope Francis.
The cardinal recalled the final days of the Pope’s life, marked by declining health. “Despite his frailty and suffering towards the end, Pope Francis chose to follow this path of self-giving until the last day of his earthly life,” he said.
“The final image we have of him, which will remain etched in our memory, is that of last Sunday, Easter Sunday, when Pope Francis, despite his serious health problems, wanted to give us his blessing from the balcony of Saint Peter’s Basilica,” Cardinal Re said
Francis was a “Pope among the people, with an open heart towards everyone,” Cardinal Re said as the homily continued.
“Faced with the raging wars of recent years, with their inhuman horrors and countless deaths and destruction, Pope Francis incessantly raised his voice imploring peace and calling for reason and inviting honest negotiation to find possible solutions. War, he said, results in the death of people and the destruction of homes, hospitals and schools. War always leaves the world worse than it was before: it is always a painful and tragic defeat for everyone,” Re added.
“Pope Francis used to conclude his speeches and meetings by saying ‘do not forget to pray for me.’ Dear Pope Francis, we now ask you to pray for us. May you bless the Church, bless Rome, and bless the whole world as you did last Sunday from the balcony of this basilica in a final embrace with all the people of God, but also embrace humanity that seeks the truth with a sincere heart and holds high the torch of hope,” he concluded.
After the funeral mass, Pope Francis will be buried outside the Vatican in St. Mary Major, a basilica in Rome. Francis will be the first Pontiff in more than a century to be buried outside the Vatican Grottoes.
President Droupadi Murmu is leading the Indian delegation in Rome, accompanied by Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State George Kurian, and Deputy Speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly Joshua De Souza.
The Indian leaders joined more than 50 heads of state, 10 reigning monarchs, and 130 foreign delegations attending Saturday’s ceremony.
Among the global dignitaries in attendance are US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and Argentinian President Javier Milei.
Representing the United Kingdom are Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Prince William. While Russian President Vladimir Putin is absent, Russia has sent its Culture Minister in his place.
–IANS
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