From Argentina, to Congo and Portugal, all roads lead to Francis

At the heart of Rome the whole world gathers for the last farewell Pope. Faces, languages, and songs create a human atlas under St. Peter’s sky. A toast with the pope’s homeland; A song that is barely sung, from the African country destroyed by the war; The pure hope of Portuguese teens. It is not goodbye, it is the beginning of a continuing journey. And poetry, which « will never reach the last verse ».

« All roads lead to Rome, » says a proverb. And today, in the eternal city, it seems that the whole world has become a migratory, because it walks on the trails trampled on by a « from the end of the world », which walks diluting the toes of simple black shoes – the same, consumed, with which it sought to be buried.

It’s dawn. Six o’clock in the morning. The fragile clock when the night extends and the timid dawn illuminates the Via Della Conciliazione buildings. The new light, reflected on marble and facade, plays gently on the faces of the believers who came to bid farewell to Pope Francis, who returned to his father’s house on Monday, April 21. Some are waking up now, shaky in Sacchi a pelo – a sleeping sack, translated Albanian – along the sidewalks. A tense silence trembles in the air, like a rope ready to be broken.

A toast for Pope
A group of young Argentines-from Cordoba, they proudly say-they are passing on each other water bottles. The security personnel blocks them at the entrance. It doesn’t matter. They drink secretly, then put the lip on the gas. « Tekila, do you remember the Pope? » – whispers one, putting the index finger on the lips. It is the silent toast for that gentle irony that Francis never ceased, nor in moments of pain. As when, speaking of his badly damaged knee, he had put his lip on the gas while saying, « It wouldn’t do me a little bit bad. » Today the joke is becoming ritual. A way of human resistance, to believe more strongly.

Francis, among the last
As the sun rises, Rome is revealed: not only the city, but also the crossroads. The streets around the Basilica become a river of languages, dialects, flags. A human atlas, open under the sky. Francis would sit next to them. Next to the Beatrice is a homeless man with pale blonde hair, with his back rest on an old wooden door and a sleeping bag wrapped around his knees. Extract from the long cloud of smoke. From there, you only look at the hasty knees, the impatient shoes. You see them with a slight disappointment. Smile when they pass by the loud teens, come to Rome for the dedicated jubilee.

To live in a better world
Among the various groups present are the Portuguese news from the parish of Ericira and Carvoeira, convinced that sadness will unite believers from all over the world and « will bring more teenagers to Rome this year, » Margarida says. « Pope Francis has united people with his message of hope and attention to those most in need! »

« Yes, it united the Catholics and the non-Catholics, there were many people who appreciated it, » recall Manuel and Mary, who, timid, agree with their peers. In fact, young people trust the acquisition of the girl and, like the Pope, want to live in a better world. They believe that now, from above, he cares for all of us and are happy with the idea that he can ideally speak to him: « I would like to ask him to take care of the places in the war, all the more so now that he is in heaven, so that he can help people who suffer and give them hope that they lack, » Margarida adds. « I hope that Pope Francis will help me find my religion even more, help me to be a better person, » Diana says with sincere smile.

Hope for peace, from Congo
The song, initially softened, is prayed, and at the same time, shouting, resistance, memory. A chorus with Gospel’s voices from Kongo sings the local variant of Amazing Grace, with scoring and hopeful grades. « He gave us the strength to continue, despite the ugliness, » Jeanette whispers, with the hand that wipes tears, the heartbroken paradox for a singer. « We need to talk about it. About the war. For the world to know, » Kenneth adds, with his harsh but confident gaze. Recent developments speak of ceasefire. « Let’s hope. We hope. We’ll always be grateful to Francis. » Peace, as a single horizon, unites every voice.

Miles traversed to say thank you
Some stories must be sought. Others come in front of. « Are you a journalist? » – asks Madeleine, with sleepy eyes and two small twins in the arms. It comes from Aix-En-Provence, France, taking advantage of a few days off for the workers’ holiday. Traveled hundreds of kilometers to thank. Thanks for a phrase that has been preserved in her heart for years: said by Francis, a child, Emanuel, who was crying for an atheist father and was afraid of being lost forever. « God is proud of your father … God has the heart of a father. Your father was a good man. He is in paradise, be sure, » Pope told him. Madeleine repeats, without shaking, as a prayer and many times. Smiles. I set aside the girls and gently remove. And they, without hesitation, follow him.

Approaching religion
From every corner of the world, many people set out for a journey, for the Pope, who knew how to talk about the faith of those who were far away. Like Sienna, a twenty-six-year-old from Berlin, who last Friday, speaking in front of the Vatican microphones, recalled her Fomo-that fear of the loss of something she lacks today. It had to have resumed again. While it remained. Now he sits on the ground, with his back rest on his backpack and lost eyes in the sky. A moment ago he exchanged a few words with a volunteer of psychosocial aid, under a white tent, on the edge of the square. Many young people approach the barriers. They ask for a word, a smile, something that warms their hearts more than the sun, which sometimes hides behind the clouds.

A poem that « will never have the last verse »
Being here is not the end. It’s the beginning. Like the road traversed by Francis, capable of uniting the end of the world – with its center. The ceremony ends, the procession towards the Great St. Mary moves slowly, as a prayer said. The boys from Cordoba again get their water bottle, empty. Who knows if, like Francis, they love their compatriot Borges. The Scholas Occurrents Kids banner contains a Pope’s definition: « Teacher and poet ». A phrase that today sounds like a will, trusted Sienna, Kenneth, Jeanettes, Argentine boys, Beatrices:

« Thank you I want … Whitman and Francis of Assisi, who have written this poem, because this poem is inexhaustible and confused with the amount of creatures and will never reach the last verse and changes according to people. »
Republic of Albania; / Vatican