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Vatican seats were open for two days when a group of grey-covered nuns began singing at St. Peters Square.
With a gentle, slow and loud voice, as if to encourage those who had joined the TI disease, the nun invaded Ave Maria.
They moved forward a few inches following the queue for Pope Francis to lie in the state. And while they sang, their faces changed to the Cathedral of St. Peter to their left, their white veils glowing under their large sun hats.
It was a fitting sight for an extraordinary week that seemed to have regained its reputation as the “capital of the world” and restored St. Peter’s Square as the center of the Catholic universe.
There is mourning, but there is also the perception that the pope, who lived in 88, died quickly and peacefully. “At least he didn’t suffer,” many say. But this is not a time for celebration either – it must wait after the funeral until Conclave stimulates the insanity of normal excitement, plot, and inevitable speculation.
Before that, in Rome, these middle ages had taken on their own taste.
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Tens of thousands are in line to see Pope Francis’s open ffin
Elena, a Romanian woman in her 50s, said she noticed the “pensive” atmosphere in the city. “There’s a lot of people around, but I felt it was all a bit quiet. There’s something different in the air,” she told the BBC, speculating that the Pope’s death encourages people to “see inside” more.
She added that his death somehow had been marked by everyone she spoke to this week, even those other than her followers.
Her friend Lina agreed. She stood behind the counter at the Tabakconist Shop in Borgopio, a quiet cobblestone street lined with dirt tones and flower box buildings near the Vatican. “It’s not a week’s tragedy or a celebration,” she said. “It’s an opportunity for people to think and reflect, and I think it’s very necessary.”
Nearby we took a leisurely wandering around Delaconsiriagione, a pedestrian street connecting Italy with the Vatican province.
The fourth-century church is only about 4km away from St. Peter, but the journey there takes about two hours as cars carrying the Pope ffin move at a walking pace, allowing people to see and say goodbye to the streets, the Vatican said earlier this week.
Two mediocre police officers admitted that the neighborhood was far busier than usual but “feeling like a Saturday” and that people were very relaxed.
Authentic security operations
Still, there were signs of a huge security operation carried by Vatican and Italian authorities everywhere.
On Wednesday, soldiers stood outside a religious goods store, swinging anti-drone equipment like Bazooka. When asked whether the gimmick can confuse drones’ frequency and force them to return to base, he responds mysteriously, “maybe, especially.”
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Soldier holding anti-drone equipment mixed between crowds
Next to him, a fellow soldier scanned the sky with binoculars. On funeral day, thousands of security guards from various branches of the police and military, river patrol troops, bomb sniffing dogs and rooftop snipers will be joined by.
Kaislin, an American student, sat on a bench sketching the St. Peter’s dome, said she was “shocked” about how safe she felt despite the numbers around.
The 21-year-old attributed it to the fact that “people are here to pay homage to Frances and enjoy this beautiful city.” She called the atmosphere “bittersweet” but said she saw the funeral as a “celebration of life.”
“He gave such a great example to the world,” she recalled.
American student Kaislin sketched the dome of St. Peter’s Cathedral
As Kaislin recalled Francis’ commitment to the poorest people in society, many others referenced his last known trip outside the Vatican on Thursday.
“I never forgot where he came from.”
“He was close to people,” Elena said lovingly. She added that she understands that he will “not leave” from helping out the worst role.
“I work as a volunteer for homeless people, and every time I try to quit something brings me back. Why? Because I came from poverty and I lived like them for three months.
“And I think it was the same for Francis,” she said. She mentioned a comment by Francis’ sister Maria Elena, who told Italian media last month that she and her brother had fallen into poverty in Argentina.
Elena added:
For Dirk, a Belgian tourist whose wife said she wanted to see the pope lying in the cathedral province, the Pope’s death is “a dazzling thing that attracts people and that’s what they want to be part of.”
“It could just be temporary and it will probably be over by Monday,” he laughed.
Dry, he described the number of homeless people around the Vatican, and often disabled people. “I saw a woman who was almost bent, and the people in clergy clothes ignored her completely. In fact, they didn’t have to face it, so they looked in other directions,” he said.
“So the wealth of these churches around us and the poverty of those sleeping at their gateways remains shocking,” he shook his head. “The contrast is jarring for me.”
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The nun has a photo of Pope Francis as they gather faithfully for the Rosary prayer in honor of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square
Catrejo – a bright young woman from Lesotho – told the BBC that she felt “special and happy” when she received Pope Francis’ Easter blessings when she appeared on St. Peter’s balcony the day before he passed away. “I thought: I’m a real Catholic now!” she laughed.
She said she felt that she “has become extremely privileged to participate in a large number of people” who had paid tribute to Pope Francis this week. “It’s a truly shared experience and it’s really amazing,” she said.
Over three days this week, tens of thousands of people streamed to St. Peters, saying their final farewell to the Argentinean pope.
As they entered the cathedral a few hours after the line, visitors and pilgrims proceeded towards Francis’ body and lay in a cas by the high altar built on the tomb of St. Peter, the first pope of the Catholic Church. Some bleeded selfie sticks, others clasped their rosaries and children’s hands. Everything was very quiet.
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The world’s eyes are centered around Rome
Outside, under the warm April sunshine, a group of happy African pilgrims with flashy head wraps ate gelato by a Bernini fountain swirling overhead.
The retired California couple incited themselves under the square row, and journalists around the world shouted questions in volatile Italian to the cardinal, who appears to be voting in the upcoming Conclave.
He slashed his phone and showed the caller back around him, and the Brazilian priest spinning over him and laughed.
