The Final Farewell: Remembering Pope Francis
By Andrea Tornielli
Twenty years ago on April 8th, the saintly Pope Karol Wojtyła passed away on the eve of Divine Mercy Sunday. And on the eve of the same Sunday, thousands bid a final farewell to Jorge Mario Bergoglio two decades later. St. Peter’s Square was marked by the image of a simple wooden coffin with the book of the Gospel open, its pages slowly turning in the wind.
The funeral Mass for Pope Francis was moving, intense, and heartfelt. The people of God, who had embraced him on Easter Sunday without knowing it would be the last time, accompanied him on the final leg of his earthly journey six days later.
The courtyard in front of St. Peter’s was filled not only with heads of state and dignitaries but also with many young people, who had planned to visit for the Jubilee of Teenagers. Representatives of other Christian denominations and various religions also came together on the steps of the papal basilica. All were united in bidding farewell to a Shepherd who was faithful to the Gospel and who never ceased preaching fraternity and, even from his hospital bed, called for an end to war.
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re’s homily highlighted Pope Francis’s mission of building a Church with open doors, prioritizing the last, the poor, and the humble. The Holy Father sought to create a home for all, emphasizing that nothing and no one can separate us from the love of God.
As the thousands of pilgrims gathered at the funeral Mass applauded Cardinal Re’s reflection on the Pope’s tireless plea for peace, they remembered the Holy Father’s words on the destructive nature of war. Pope Francis believed that war only brings about death, destruction, and leaves the world worse off than before.
Before the Mass began, the American and Ukrainian presidents met for a few minutes. We hope and pray that something positive may come from these exchanges, as they were the final conversation for peace fostered by the Successor of Peter, who took the name of the saint of Assisi, the saint of peace.
