Pope Francis goes home

Trump looks on regretfully as Pope Francis takes his last procession in a simple wooden casket

Tens of thousands of mourners have gathered in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican City to pay their last respects and mourn the Leader of the Roman Catholic Church; Pope Francis.

Reports indicate that about 400,000 people including Dignitaries made up of Monarchs and Heads of States, Heads of Government including Presidents, Kings and Queens and Prime Ministers have gathered to give the Pope a final goodbye. Among such dignitaries were Donald J. Trump (President of the United States of America), his wife Melania (his First Lady), Volodymyr Zelensky (President of Ukraine), and his wife Olena (the First Lady), Michael D. Higgins (President of Ireland), Former US President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden, King Felipe VI of Spain and Queen Letizia of Spain, Queen Mary of Denmark, Ursula Von der Leyen (President of the European Commission, Albert II of Monaco, Queen Mathilde of Belguim and King Phillippe of Belgium, Prince William, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, Sir Keir Starmer (UK Prime Minister), Argentine President Javier Milei, Georgia Meloni (Italian Prime Minister), Emmanuel Macron of France and Brigitte his wife to mention but a few! As well as many more Faithful(s), and Mourners from all over the world. Also present was the College of Cardinals and Senior Clergy men and Catholic Clergy from all over the world.

The Dean of the College of Cardinals; Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, presided over the solemn Requiem Mass for the Pope and in His Homily he never failed to exhort all present to aim to ‘…Build bridges not walls”, an ode to Pope Francis and a silent criticism of Trump’s policies especially his treatment of migrants. A poignant historical moment during the funeral was the fifteen minutes’ face-to-face meeting between President Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky aimed at finally halting the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Once the Requiem Mass was over, the mortal remains of the Pope were borne in a simple wooden casket lined with zinc, as he made his final procession and final journey to his final resting place: Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica (Saint Mary Major Basilica) in Rome, Italy.