Paying respects to Pope Francis in Rome and South Australia this weekend
Events
The Pope’s funeral will be held at St Peter’s Basilica in Rome on Saturday at 10am local time (5.30pm ACT) and is expected to last about two and a half hours.
The service will be outdoors, in front of St Peter’s Square, and will be led by the dean of the College of Cardinals, 91-year-old Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re.
Tens of thousands of people are set to attend, including hundreds of high-profile figures such as United States president Donald Trump, Prince William and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
Australian Catholic Bishops Conference President Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB will represent the Church in Australia at the funeral and Governor-General Sam Mostyn, who will also be at the Anzac Day commemorations in Turkey on Friday, will also attend.
Also flying to Rome will be South Australia’s federal Trade Minister Don Farrell and Nationals MP, and former deputy prime minister, Michael McCormack.
Neither the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese nor Coalition leader Peter Dutton will be at the funeral given the impending federal election.
Australia’s Cardinal Mykola Bychok will attend the funeral before joining the papal conclave to select the next pope.
Cardinal Bychok said Pope Francis was a man of simple piety who strove to bring the Church closer to people.
“He gave freely of his gifts and had a unique personal approach to all he met,” he said.
The Association of Ministerial MPJPs (AMPJP) Chair Moira Najdecki suggested that Pope Francis’ greatest legacy will be the promotion of lay people, and in particular women, into positions of governance in the Church.
“Allowing religious and lay people to have full leadership responsibilities has ushered in their much greater participation in the life of the Church,” she said.
In South Australia, a memorial Mass for Pope Francis will be celebrated at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, Adelaide on Sunday, April 27 at 11.00am.
Archbishop Patrick O’Regan said the entire world was captivated by his “extraordinary pontificate marked by humility, simplicity, mercy and compassion”.
“He worked tirelessly for justice, for the good of the Church and the whole world. Although we are filled with sorrow at his passing, we place our trust in the resurrection, and the hope that Pope Francis, and one day each of us, will be at peace in the arms of Christ for all eternity.”
The Governor of South Australia and senior state government officials are expected to attend.
Catholic schools meanwhile will honour Pope Francis through prayer and liturgy upon their return to school next week for Term 2.
Evelyn O’Loughlin, CEO of St Vincent de Paul Society South Australia, said Pope Francis’s message of inclusivity and tolerance would continue to inspire the work done by Vinnies SA supporters and volunteers.
Members of the public wishing to pay their respects can sign a condolence book within St Francis Xavier Cathedral to sign as an expression of their love for Pope Francis and sorrow at his passing.
The Mass will also be live broadcast via the Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide website
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