Tens of thousands of loyal tourists flocked to the Vatican after Pope Francis’ body was moved to St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday.
While many were intrigued by the historical significance of the event, others had the opportunity to pay tribute to the late Pope by expressing their sadness.
Most of the time, people felt forced to simply say the final goodbye.
Some faithful people cannot contain their tears. Violetta and Pavel are from Poland but live in London. Both were so shocked by the Pope’s death that they quickly changed their travel plans to meet him.
“We booked in January and had been planning a trip for a long time. But now we’ve changed plans. It’s sad because our plans have been cancelled,” Violetta plagued.
“I’m very emotional. I feel like I’m crying, but I’m happy to be here. It’s very emotional for me.”
Traveling from Mexico, Susana was already in Rome with her family when she heard of Pope Francis’ death.
“I am a Christian and I am sad because he was a great Pope,” Susana said, praised Francis’ work. ”
“He opened the church to an issue that other Popes had not previously spoken openly. The news is very sad because he made important changes in the church,” she explained.
“It’s strange to be here.”
“We had planned this trip for a year and a half,” Bettina said, visiting with her family from Germany, adding that she had not made any major changes to her travel plans since Pope Francis’ death.
“It’s strange to be here. When the Pope gets sick, we said, ‘Let’s hope he doesn’t die.’ We explained to our kids what happened and what it meant for the world,” Betina told Euroneus.
She and her family decided to visit St. Peter, not only recognizing the historical importance of the event, but also respecting the late Pope.
Alex is 35 years old and is from Israel. He was already in Rome when he heard of the Pope’s death. “That’s certainly very sad,” he commented.
“We didn’t have a concrete plan, we just wanted to walk around, but emotionally, of course, we’re upset. It’s a tragic opportunity.
Some have arrived in the Italian capital, which surrounds Catholic church seats and city-states, but like Stephen and Christel travelling from France, they arrived hours before the news of Pope Francis’ passage.
“We arrived in Rome a day before his death. We are here on vacation as tourists, not for Jubilee,” Christel told Euroneus.
“We bought tickets for the (Vatican) museum a long time ago. We visited here and had the opportunity to see this historic day,” she explained.
The funeral, set for Saturday, may be too crowded, the two said.
“We won’t be attending funerals. There will be too many people,” added Stephen.
“I was in Rome to see him last.”
The Pope’s death had a major impact on those who did not adhere to Catholic rituals.
“We had already planned to come to Rome, and then the Pope just happened to die,” Gianluca said, adding that he and his family had traveled from Brescia and had already planned to come to St. Peter.
“I’m not a follower, but he’s still an important character. We’re all the same, even as a leader representing the nation,” Genruka said.
“Sorry,” commented his wife, Giovanna. “I also came to Rome to try and see him, fearing that he might be sick.”
“I’ve never been to Rome in 20 years. This is my third time. Even Noemi, my daughter who doesn’t see him, really made me feel bad,” Giovanna added.
“We came here on a trip. We loved the idea of being able to see the Pope, but we missed him. We’re so sad,” said Jennifer, an American on vacation with a family from Florida.
“This is my first time visiting here. It’s so beautiful here, but I miss the Pope.”
