Muted rome considers Pope Francis’ death

The seat in the Vatican was vacant for two days when a group of ball nuns stood on St. Peter’s square and began to sing.

At first, gently, as if encouraging those who had timidly joined, the nuns broke into Ave Maria.

Each person so often moved a few centimeters forward, following the turn so that Pope Francis lay in the state. And all the time they sang, their faces turned to the basilica of St. Peter on the left, their white curtains shone under their large sun hats.

It was a suitable spectacle for the Extraordinary Week when Rome seemed to return his reputation to the “capital of the world” – and St. Peter’s Square as the center of the Catholic universe.

There is a mourning, but also the recognition that the Pope, who lived up to 88, died quickly and peacefully. “At least he didn’t suffer,” many say. However, this is not the time for the celebration – what will have to wait after the funeral if the conclave will cause the usual madness of the excitement, intrigue and inevitable speculation.

Before that, in Rome these days have acquired their own aroma between them.

Elena, the Romanian woman of the 50’s, said she noticed the “conceived” atmosphere in the city. “There is a big crowd around, but I felt that everything was a little quiet, there was something else in the air,” she said the BBC, guessing that the Pope’s death encourages people to “look” more.

She added that everyone who was talking to this week-unknown was noted by his death.

Her friend Lina agreed. She was standing behind the counter in the tobacco store in Borga -Pio, a quiet cobbled street, lined with buildings in earthly tones and flower boxes near the Vatican. “It’s not a week of tragedy, no holiday,” she said. “It is an opportunity for people to think, to think, and I think it is very necessary.”

Nearby, people slowly descended through the Della Conciliazione – a pedestrian street that connects Italy and the Vatican state, and the same that the pope’s coffin will ride on Saturday when it reaches the last rest in the Santa -Magore Basilica.

The Church of the 4th century is located only 4 km from St. Peter, but the journey there will take about two hours, when the car transporting the coffin will move in walking to allow people who lining the streets, see it and say goodbye, Vatican said earlier this week.

Two police officers with simple closed confessed that the neighborhood was much more occupied than usual, but that they “felt like Saturday” and that people were very relaxed.

However, the signs of a huge security operation established by the Vatican and Italian authorities were everywhere.

On Wednesday, the soldiers stood outside a religious shop, which spread a good device similar to the base. Asked if he could, for example, violate drones and make them return to his bases, he mysteriously replied: “Maybe, by the way.”

Next to him, his colleagues soldiers scanned the binoculars sky. Thousands of security officers from different police branches and the armed forces, as well as the river patrol units, bombs and roof bombs will join them on the funeral day.

The American student Cocislin, who was sitting on the bench, painting the dome of St. Peter, said she was “shocked” from how safe she felt, despite the number of people.

The 21-year-old guy attributed to this because “people are here to give respect to Francine and enjoy this beautiful city.” She called the atmosphere “bitter”, but said she saw the funeral as a “celebration of life.”

“He gave such a great example of the world,” she recalled.

• You can watch and watch the funeral live here, on the BBC News web and the app. In the UK iPlayer. Will also be live lighting on BBC news channel Presented by Mariam Moshir. Finally you can also follow the burial lighting on BBC World Service

As Caislin recalled Francis’ commitment to the poorest societies, many others referred to his last trip outside the Vatican on Mandi on Thursday when he visited prisoners in Regina Coel’s prison as he did many times earlier.

“He was close to the people,” Elena said with love, adding that he understood why he “couldn’t stay aloof” to help the worst.

“I work as a volunteer for homeless people, and every time I try to stop, something pulls me back. Why? Because I lived as three months because I am too poverty. I’m not difficult to feel close to them,” she said.

“And I think it was the same for Francis,” she said, mentioning the comments of her sister Francis Maria Elena, who told the Italian media last month that she and her siblings grew in poverty in Argentina.

Elena added: “He never forgot where he came from. Even when he reached the highest role, he never allowed him to change.”

For the Belgian tourist Dirk whose wife is in line to see the Pope lying in the Basilica, a gloomy atmosphere, because the Pope’s death is what “attracts people, that’s what they want to be part”.

“It can be just temporarily, it will probably end until Monday,” he laughed.

He dropped the number of homeless – and often disabled people around the Vatican. “I saw a woman who was almost leaning, and people in the clergy completely ignored her, in fact they looked the other way so that they would not face it,” he said.

“So, it remains shocking, the wealth of these churches around us and the poverty of the people who sleep on the doorstep.” He shook his head. “The contrast for me ascended.”

Katleho – a raised young woman from the forest – said the BBC that she feels “special, happy” when she received the Easter blessing of Pope Francis on the day before he died when he appeared on St. Peter’s balcony. “I thought, I’m a real Catholic now,” she laughed.

She said she was “so privileged to join many people” who this week gave respect to Pope Francis. “This is a real common experience, it’s so great,” she said, skipping to catch up with the rest of her group.

Within three days this week, tens of thousands of people turned to St. Peter to say goodbye to the Argentine Pope, who – as he was chosen, came “from the end of the world.”

If they entered the basic after hours in the queue, Visitors and pilgrims went to Francis’ bodyLying in a box near the high altar, built over the grave of St. Peter, the first Pope of the Catholic Church. Some broken selfies -shelves, others grabbed their rosaries or hands of children. Everyone was very quiet.

Father Rames Talval, from Jerusalem, was the last in the queue to see Pope Francis’ body.

“It is strange that, as a group of holy land, we can say goodbye to our late Pope Francis,” he said.

“For us, this is really an emotional moment to say, thank him for being with us at this terrible time in the Holy Land.

“He means a lot to me because he gave us a spiritual way of thinking, he had the love he gave for all, and he taught us to respect each other. We will miss him.”

After three days of lies in the state, the queue for members of the public to give their respect to the dead pantiff, closed at 19:00 local time on Friday. Then there was a private ceremony in which Pope Francis’s box was sealed in front of his funeral on Saturday.

Outside, under the warm April sunlight, a group of joyful African pilgrims in the screaming wraps of the head were eaten by the glato with the help of a fountain of Bernini, the seagulls circle over their heads.

Californian retired couples inflated under the colonnades of the square, and journalists from all over the world shouted at shaky Italian issues on any cardinal that looked like this can vote in the future conclave.

Holding his phone to show the subscriber home his neighborhood, the Brazilian priest revolved, laughing.