Mixed views but convivial spirit among the faithful flocked in Rome
Two nuns pose for a selfie St Peter's Square on Friday. Thousands have visited over the weekend, to pay their respects to Pope Francis. Picture: Neil Michael
Even among people who took the time and spent the money to attend the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday and stay until Sunday, views on the future of the church and the papacy are mixed.
Many who were in Rome for the funeral referred to expensive hotel rooms — up to as much as €1,000-a-night; what it was like to see the inside of the basilica and the Pope lying in state; even the fact that Donald Trump wore a blue suit on the day.
But when asked to home in on the future of the church, there were far more mixed views than one would imagine.
Among those aged over 40 and under 20 more than others in or around St Peter’s Square, there was optimism and conviction about the church's continued relevance.
Many over 40 could just about afford to leave behind their families and jobs to make the expensive trek to Rome for the funeral, spending thousands on accommodation, flights, and food over their days-long stays.
There were a lot of teenagers — many in long trains of scouts — and like, those over 40, they seemed to have a profound but easy understanding of what their faith meant to them and what place a pope plays in it.
For Palermo scout group member 13-year-old Gabreele Lubans, there was no doubt what the Pope’s legacy is.
He and 19 other scouts had travelled to Rome on a 12-hour trip to attend the funeral.
They arrived in the square singing loudly and giddy with their infectious and unbridled excitement and curiosity.
“To us, it was the hope that he left behind,” he said enthusiastically while those to the left and right of him nodded emphatically.
Asked what exactly this hope was, he quickly consulted the group around him again and after a debate back and forth among themselves in Italian and many exclamations and nods of heads with the profundity of wise men and women, he turned back, motioning to the group to be quiet, and replied: “He left us hope for ourselves and the end of war. Yes, that is it. To end all wars.”
Standing nearby was Andrea Salazar, from North Dakota. She was in the capital to meet her daughter who is studying to be a canon law lawyer.
On the Pope’s death, she said: “It was a sad day that he died but it was a blessing that he went quickly and did not have to suffer long with a great illness.”
On his papacy and what follows, she paused to think for a while, before replying: "I liked his stewardship and care for the marginalized.
"He liked to mix things up and that sometimes made it difficult for him.”
Asked if the new Pope will be the type to build on what Pope Francis did and pick up where he left off or will he be more conservative?
“It’ll probably be somewhere in between,” she replied, again with a degree of hesitancy.
“I think a step back rather than a step forward and a step in a different direction.”
David Kavanagh decided to leave his home in Palmerstown in Dublin with his partner Michelle Cosgrove when the Pope died.
Echoing an impression the Pope left in most people the spoke to, he said: “I thought he was a wonderful person and down to earth.
“He didn’t stay in the Papal Apartments, and he basically looked after the homeless on the streets of Rome. I also think he was very progressive.”
Asked if Pope Francis had gone far enough with his reforms, he replied: “I don’t think he went far enough.
Ms Cosgrove added: “I also don’t think he did enough. I don’t think anybody does enough but hopefully the next person will.
“They need a lot more people than the power of the Pope, who will take on the responsibility to follow on from what Pope Francis started.”
As he stood with the Colosseum behind him, Mr Kavanagh said part his belief there should be female priests is because “the Catholic faith has fallen away”.
“In Ireland, there are less practicing Catholics in their 20s.”
When asked what the Pope's death meant to her, 22-year-old Francesca from Florence spoke with brutal honesty, an honesty echoed by many her age in Rome over the last few days.
”He was a good man, so I’m sorry for his loss,” she said. “But I’m not really a good Christian, so I’m here only to see the city and see the atmosphere around.”
A student herself, she was asked what — if any — appeal did the Pope have for her and her generation.
Quick as a flash she said: “None.” Asked why not, she said: “Because of their ideals and their way of communication is way far from our point of view.”
She said the church is out of touch.
Bring up the thorny issue of abuse, and the faithful mostly winced, and tried to steer the conversation away.
“I don’t think the funeral of the Pope is an appropriate place to ask anybody about that," said one middle aged woman who then turned her back.
Sacred art student Elaine Falconer, who lives in Florence, had a more diplomatic way of dealing with the issue.
The 24-year-old, from Wisconsin, said: “I usually try not to think about the Catholic Church in the realms of the political.” Of the Pope himself, she was clearly devoted to him.
“I attended the Jubilee for the World Youth Day he attended two years ago and in one of his homilies, he said young people need to understand that God is love,” she said.
“That is something I think about all the time.
“Before we start being all political, and angry — everyone has an opinion in all these voices — we have to understand that Pope Francis understood that God is love.
“It’s the most simple message you can think of and I think that’s what attracts so many people to him.”
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