Ivan Mastrosimone, a scout leader from Sicily, said he had travelled by bus for 12 hours to see the funeral, saying it was his “duty” to come because of the pope’s forceful stance on climate change.
Christian Wahl, a German logistics manager sporting a panama hat and waving a German flag, said the turnout reflected the pope’s popularity compared to his German predecessor, Benedict XVI, a reserved theologian who died in 2022 after a shock resignation in 2013.
“I came for Benedict’s funeral too, but there are more people here,” said Wahl. “Francis is more popular even in Germany as he showed us he was not above us, we are all equal. Benedict was not as close to the people,” he said.
“I respected Francis — everytime he spoke he called for peace,” Wahl said.
An illustration of Francis’ style was evident in his manner of burial. While there was some of the usual ornate pomp of ancient tradition, with black-frocked pallbearers, gold-embroidered vestments and a sea of red-caped cardinals, the funeral centered around Francis’ plain wooden coffin, a departure from previous papal burials featuring nesting coffins made of cypress, lead and oak.
After the funeral Mass, the casket was transferred via the Popemobile to the heart of Rome, where Francis was interred in Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the four major papal basilicas and a favorite of Francis for its dedication to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and its proximity to the deprived Esquilino neighborhood.
