Rome, April 26 (askanews) – Tourists were happy to have witnessed the passage of Pope Francis’ coffin through the streets of central Rome, on the journey that took him from the Vatican to Santa Maria Maggiore, the basilica in Rome that will be his final home. About 150.000 people took to the streets to participate in this “special day”.
“It’s definitely a sad day to see the Pope, but it’s also a beautiful day that, as you know, we all appreciate. It brings everyone together here in one place, from all over the world,” said Sarmad Shamou, an American tourist.
“I had the opportunity to personally witness the entire week of preparation for this funeral and, as a Catholic Christian who has made pilgrimages in the past, it is truly touching: it happens once in a lifetime,” commented Barbara Farhat from Brazil.
“I’m not a believer, but I think it’s very important for everyone. I think it’s a great demonstration against war by the people. It’s more important to be here than anywhere else,” added Carlo Tsad, a retiree who lives in Rome.
“It’s been a special day. It’s been hard to process it all, to be honest, quite surreal. We saw the Pope walk past the Colosseum about half an hour ago and then we rushed off on our Lime scooters as fast as we could to try and see the spectacle ourselves. We feel like we’ve learned a lot from the day, but we’ll have to process it all over the weekend,” concluded British tourist Tom Cullimore.
Notizie.it editorial team