VATICAN CITY (AP) — Thousands of young people from around the world had come to Rome expecting to rejoice this weekend in the canonization of the first millennial saint during the Vatican’s Holy Year. They ended up bidding farewell to Pope Francis instead, with their exuberance giving an uplifting tone to Saturday’s otherwise somber funeral.
“He always said you have to be joyful about life, you have to live life in a similar way,” said Marco Falchi, who traveled from his home near Perugia with his wife and 11-year-old son. He and his wife credit Francis with reviving their spirituality, and they named their son, Francesco, after him.
The family is also devoted to the cause of sainthood for Carlo Acutis, a young Italian who died in 2006 from leukemia and inspired faith in many young Catholics. They planned their trip to Rome around that.
The canonization of Acutis had been scheduled for Sunday during the first-ever Jubilee of Adolescents, dedicated to teens. It was suspended after Francis’ death.
Falchi was struck by the lack of deep mourning at the funeral for the pope. “Especially since this was the jubilee for adolescents, he certainly didn’t want a day of mourning but he wanted a day of joy,” he said.
There was a clear blue sky over St. Peter’s Square. Some people camped out the night before to get a good spot. Many stood respectfully, their hands folded, as they followed the Mass on large screens. Radio broadcasts in multiple languages added to the hum of humanity. They applauded when Francis’ simple wooden coffin was moved outdoors.
Tens of thousands of Catholic faithful had planned their trips before the pope’s death on Monday at age 88 following a long hospitalization.
“I bought my ticket for Carlo,” said Reyes Arribas, a 23-year-old from Valencia, Spain. “And then suddenly Pope Francis died, so I came to the funeral.”
She confessed that while she admired Francis, she felt a closer affinity to his predecessors, St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI. Her feelings for Acutis, however, are very strong. She excitedly praised him as “the first saint of young people” because he was immersed in the technological world of today.
Even those who were disappointed by the suspended canonization were gratified that they could celebrate Francis, loved by many for his humility and concern for the poor.
“I feel I grew up with Pope Francis,” said Jessica Naranjo, a 27-year-old from Austin, Texas. “He advocated for social justice. This was a big loss for me.”
Ana Kalen, a 22-year-old medical student, traveled to Rome for the Acutis canonization with a group from Sarajevo, Bosnia.
“The plans have changed, but we are still so glad to be here for this historical moment,” Kalen said, a Bosnian flag draped over her shoulders.
“We are sad about each death,” Kalen said. “But we do believe that Pope Francis is in a better place.”
After St. John Paul II died in 2005, the mood was different. The faithful made pilgrimages from his Polish homeland and elsewhere to mourn a towering figure of the 20th century in a spirit of deep sadness and loss.
Francis had a different style. During his 12-year papacy, he urged people to maintain a sense of humor, and that spirit seemed to guide many participants Saturday.
Groups of young people filled St. Peter’s Square before the funeral Mass. One from a parish in Cassano Magnago in the northern Italian province of Varese danced in circle and sang religious songs.
The pope’s death during Easter season filled them with a sense of peace, one teenager said.
“It’s a good sign,” said 16-year-old Matteo Cozzi. “The death of a pope at Easter is a sign of hope.”
