Honorary Guests of the Funeral of Pope Francis: Rome’s Most Vulnerable Guests

Thousands of VIPs, pilgrims and visitors will have the opportunity to line up and pay tribute before Saturday’s funeral of Pope Francis.

But in his coffin was buried in a simple grave at the Cathedral of Santa Maria Maggill in Rome, it would be a group of people living in poverty who would have the ultimate opportunity to honor him.

This shows that people living in poverty are in the heart of God and the “land of privilege” of Francis’s, who are in the tenet of advocating marginalized people, the Vatican said.

“Everyone misses him,” said Ciobanu Catalin Nelu, 49, who slept under the bridge and took refuge in a shelter just steps from the Vatican.

“Whether you are Arab, Romanian or Muslim…he loves everyone, he helps them.”

Shelter in the shadow of the Vatican

The shelter, Palazzo Migliori, is located on the other side of the iconic pillar bordering St. Peter’s Square.

On Wednesday evening, as crowds gathered in the area, hoping for a chance to pass through the Pope’s coffin, a group of people gathered in front of the shelter and waited all night.

While doing this, dozens of backpacks and bags were brought up with them filled with laundry. Inside, they get a bed, a hearty meal and a warm conversation.

In 2019, Pope Francis Turn aroundwhich actually transforms the “best palace” into the most vulnerable houses in the city.

Nelu, originally from Romania, said on Monday that he stared at the windows from the shared room to St. Peter’s Square.

“I can’t fall asleep,” Neru said. “Everyone misses him.”

Pope Francis has been repeatedly called the pope for the people, and they reached out to the most vulnerable people in society as his huge priority. He visited people living in poverty, advocated for immigration, and met with gay and trans activists.

He challenged world leaders, some who believed he was a stable compassion in a changing political environment.

“The world is always more selfish,” said Carlo Santoro, director of the sanctuary run by the Catholic association Sant’egitio community, which runs several charitable projects related to the Vatican.

“The poor realize that Pope Francis defends them…even if there are obstacles or politics, they will not give up.”

Pope’s visit

In the city of Rome, more than 22,000 people are meeting homeless people, often seen lying on cardboard and sleeping bags near St. Peter’s Square and hanging from buildings and churches, according to the latest data collected by the National Institute of Statistics.

Santoro said when Palazzo Migliori was the headquarters of the all-female religious order in Carasancia, Santoro said many were pushing the building into a hotel.

“[Pope Francis] Say yes, it will be a hotel, but not for the rich – for the poor. “Santoro said.

“Because the poor deserve this place.”

After the shelter was opened, Pope Francis visited and sat down with the residents at dinner.

On Wednesday night, when 45 people lived there for a meal of pasta, chicken and salad, they could hear the buzzing sound of the crowds in St. Peter’s Square in order to mourn him.

Photos and paintings of the Pope hung on the walls of the shelter.

Francis visited the shelter only at a time, but Santoro said residents, volunteers and staff felt connected with him.

March 27, 2020, during the lockdown pandemic, Pope delivered bless From rain and rain and empty St. Peter’s Square. The pope later wrote in his memoirs that he considered all the vulnerable people, including those on the “fringement of society” and “people living on the streets.”

At that time, Santoro looked down at the Vatican from the terrace of the shelter and said they were praying with him.

The Pope’s Propaganda

Santoro noted that one of Francis’ last actions was his strong commitment to people who are often on the margins of society.

On Holy Thursday before Easter, He visited one Italy’s most crowded prison and meets 70 prisoners. Usually, to commemorate the day, Francis would wash himself at the feet of prisoners (including women and Muslims) to imitate the feet of his disciples before Christ died.

This year, the pope’s fragile health prevented him from washing his feet, so he met with the prisoners for 30 minutes while sitting in a wheelchair. Vatican media reported that he said he wanted to get close to them and was praying for his family.

Santoro, who has seen Francis many times, said the pope had a selfless feeling and was determined to try to open people’s minds to the sufferings of the world around him.

Since the Palazzo Migliori shelter opened nearly five years ago, more than 100 people living there have moved into temporary housing.

Fabrizo Salvati, 69, has arrived in Palazzo every night for the past three years and said he hopes to keep going as soon as possible, but admits he has some trouble.

After he fell into depression, he began to face homelessness, which led him to sleep at the train station in Rome and then move to the shelter.

Salvati wore a coiled pearl under her blue sweatshirt and smiled as he stuffed it into Penne’s plate and described how he met the Pope in 2022 at lunch and thanked him.

“The former pope had been doing something for the poor… It was the mission of the church,” Salvati said.

“But this pope has surpassed it, far beyond it.”

He said it was the Pope who promoted the Holy See, which was the central management body of the Pope. The Roman Catholic Church and the Vatican State states send newsletters to people like Salvati.

Now he found some writing papers for his work and distributed copies in St. Peter’s Square.

“This newspaper has given me a role in my life,” he said. “This is the most important thing for me.

Global advocates

The Pope constantly advocates for people living in poverty, but he is also a defender of immigration and calls on his perception of lack of empathy.

In 2016, he traveled to the Greek island of Lesbos, where Lesbos was flooded by refugees fleeing Syrian civil war and other conflicts in the Middle East and Africa. He brought it back Three Muslim families On the Pope’s plane reset in Rome.

same year, He criticized “A person who just wants to build a wall on the wall, no matter where they are, rather than building bridges, is not a Christian,” said President Donald Trump, who plans to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

In his last speech EasterThe pope said it was sent from the Vatican balcony by one of his aides, who said he was praying for people in conflict areas, including in Ukraine and Gaza, saying: “Sometimes despise how much contempt there is, how vulnerable to vulnerable, marginalized and migrants are vulnerable”.

Back at Palazzo Migliori, Santoro has been working with people in Rome for decades, and he said the Pope did make connections with them.

Outside the shelter, a man walking with a crutch, held a transparent plastic bag filled with items, including a postcard of Pope Francis.

“Long live the Pope,” he shouted as he wandered.