200,000 gather for Mass in St Peter’s Square on day after funeral

In a homily at the Mass on Divine Mercy Sunday, Cardinal Pietro Parolin said that Pope Francis had made the message of God’s limitless mercy the heart of his pontificate.

“Our affection for him must not remain a mere emotion of the moment,” Cardinal Parolin said. “We must welcome his legacy and make it part of our lives, opening ourselves to God’s mercy and also being merciful to one another.”

And mercy must guide the Catholic Church through its period of mourning and the uncertainty that lies ahead, Cardinal Parolin said, who served at secretary of state at the Vatican from 2013 until the death of Pope Francis.

Although the Mass was officially one of mourning, jubilant crowds of young people who travelled to Rome for the Jubilee of Teenagers from April 25-27 filed into the square early on Sunday morning while cheering, singing songs and breaking out in chant.

In his homily, the cardinal recognised the bittersweet atmosphere in the square, telling the young people that their presence was a visible sign of Easter joy even amid the Church’s grief, adding that Pope Francis “would have liked to meet you, to look into your eyes, and to pass among you to greet you”.

As the tomb of Pope Francis in the Basilica of St Mary Major was opened to the public for the first time on the morning of April 27, Cardinal Parolin recalled the late Pope’s deep devotion to Mary, having chosen to be buried in the Marian basilica outside the Vatican, and entrusting the Church to her care.

Reuters reported that visitors began queuing well before the basilica opened at 7am and the building was soon filled with well-wishers after the doors opened. Authorities urged people to leave as soon as they had seen the tomb, saying thousands more were waiting to get in.

Six hours later, 30,000 people had visited St Mary Major, according to the Vatican. People leaving the basilica at lunchtime said they had been queuing for more than two hours and had only a few minutes inside. In the afternoon, hundreds of cardinals gathered in the church for prayers.

The Pope’s casket was placed in a simple marble tomb in a side aisle of the basilica. “Franciscus” is inscribed on top, while a reproduction of the plain cross that Pope Francis used to wear around his neck hangs above the niche.

FULL STORY

Cardinal Parolin celebrates Mass for teens, second day of ‘novendiali’ (By Justin McLellan/CNS)

More than 30,000 people pack Rome church to visit Pope Francis’ tomb (Reuters)

Faithful and cardinals flock to Pope Francis’ tomb (CNS/The Catholic Weekly)