The Last Farewell: Pope Francis’ Final Journey with the Poor
After the solemn funeral Mass at St. Peter’s on Saturday, 26 April, Pope Francis’ remains will be transferred in procession to the Basilica of St. Mary Major where a group of poor and marginalized people will pay their last respects before his burial in the church, as he expressed in his last wishes.
Being the “least” in society will become a privilege on the day of Pope Francis’ funeral and burial. Around forty people will gather on Saturday morning April 26, on the steps of Saint Mary Major Basilica in the Esquilino Roman neighbourhood. The group will include poor people, homeless, prisoners, migrants, and transgender individuals, who will pay their last tribute and express their gratitude to Pope Francis. For many of them, he was like a “father.”
Holding a white rose, they will be the last to bid farewell to the late Pope after the funeral Mass at St. Peter’s, just before his burial between the Pauline Chapel (the chapel of Salus Populi Romani, a Marian icon venerated by Romans and by Francis) and the Sforza Chapel of the Liberian Basilica, in accordance with the Pope’s wishes.
Surrounded by his children
“The poor hold a privileged place in God’s heart,” and therefore “also in the heart and teachings of the Holy Father, who chose the name Francis so as never to forget them,” stated a communiqué from the Holy See. Bishop Benoni Ambarus, Secretary of the Commission for Migrations of the Italian Episcopal Conference and delegate for charitable initiatives, gave more details to Vatican media. He had been at Francis’ side on December 26 during one of the most emblematic moments of his pontificate — the opening of the Holy Door at Rebibbia prison, in Rome.
“I find this a very moving choice because Pope Francis is being received by the Mother he loved so much (Salus Populi Romani) and by his favorite children, who will surround him on this final journey. I think it’s something truly beautiful…,” said Bishop Ambarus.
The poor accompanying Pope Francis in his last journey
The idea for this final encounter came from an exchange between the Romanian-born bishop and Bishop Diego Ravelli, the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, to “strengthen the presence of the poor at the funeral or in some other meaningful way.” The decision was made to include “a representation of various categories of vulnerable people — the poor, the homeless, migrants, prisoners, or former prisoners, or poor families,” as if all his favorite people were accompanying him on his final journey.
Migrants or homeless people — almost all of those in the group have had the chance to meet Pope Francis at least once, noted Bishop Ambarus.
Also present will be “a small group of transgender individuals I know, who live with a community of nuns and whom we support,” the Bishop explained. However, the final list of attendees at Saint Mary Major has not yet been confirmed, especially regarding the prisoners from Rome’s Rebibbia prison, who are still awaiting authorization.
Bishop Ambarus, still moved by the Pope’s decision to turn a prison into a kind of “cathedral,” echoed the “emptiness” now felt by the prisoners who participated in the opening of the Holy Door and the Jubilee. “Those living in prison feel orphaned — that’s what they write to me, what they tell me. They feel like they’ve lost a father but are still holding on to the hope the Pope gave them.” And this hope includes the belief that “civil society and all of us do not forget them, as Pope Francis often urged us to remember.”
The late Pope’s contributions over the years to the needy
Throughout his pontificate, Pope Francis supported prisoners in concrete ways, including financial contributions. “The Holy Father,” emphasized Ambarus, “always invited everyone to take action — and he did so himself. Most of this help remains known only to God, but some of it was made public. What is certain is that he always contributed personally. As he used to say: charity passes through the wallet, and he never held back.”
As an example, the Bishop recalled that one of the first major gestures he made during the Covid pandemic “was the creation of the Jesus the Divine Worker Fund, endowed with one million euros for the Diocese of Rome, to assist the unemployed, undocumented workers, those in precarious jobs, and people struggling to pay bills, buy food, or access healthcare. “The Pope also gave us a million euros to renovate the former clergy house and turn it into apartments for poor families. But it wasn’t just in Rome — Pope Francis’s entire pontificate is filled with contributions across the world,” not to mention the “major reforms in the administration of Church assets to benefit the most vulnerable.”
