The pope of the last, apostle of peace until the end: Friday free with the courier the book on Francesco
He thought and prayed to the last for the others, the last, the suffering, his true people, knowing, like Jesus, that his time had come to the end
This article is the incipit of « Pray for me », the book on Pope Francis written by Ferruccio De Bortoli, on free newsstand with Corriere della Sera on Thursday 25 April.
« Look at me, » Don Filippo di Giacomo shouts him while the Pope, on the discovered car, leaves the bell arch, on the right side of the Basilica, To greet the crowded crowd in St. Peter’s Square For Easter. It is a surprise that leaves the audience that hurried after a roar of greeting that embraces him. Don Filippo is next to me and Ignazio Ingrao in the TG1 station. He just made the liturgical commentary on the Easter Mass.
We are under the columns of Bernini. We have just discussed, in the television connection, the Urbi et orbi message written by Francesco, despite the disease, As the meditations of the Via Crucis of Good Friday. The Pope’s car passes by us. We say goodbye but it
look of the pontiff is fixed. Almost immobile. He doesn’t look at us. We remain disappointed. We, on the other hand, look at each other affected by the observation of how His image is marked by immense fatigue of the disease.
We don’t tell us anything. Our silence hides deep concern for his health. Don Filippo Note, from the top of his experience and closeness to the Pope in many circumstances, which is as if the crowd, remained silent during the travelet of the papmobile, he understood all his suffering. And it is as if, in the embrace, he told the elderly Pontiff to spare himself, not to tire further.
« There is a strange silence, other times there was only the joy of the meeting, today not. » We leave with The eyes still full of beauty of the festive colors of Easter. With the heart, however, weighed down by the concern for the health of the Pope who would have died the next day, on the Monday of the Angel. During the comment to the Easter Mass and to the reading of the final message, We amazed ourselves with his courage, of his determination and his disobedience to medical prescriptions.
He had just met The American vice president JD Vance that perhaps he would have done better not to see. But it was a new converted Catholic and perhaps not receiving it would have been a diplomatic rude. Once again, Francesco had not spared himself, with the usual overwhelming generosity. We thought he would limit himself to appearing in a wheelchair on the central balcony, to wish happy Easter to everyone and to give the blessing. With a breath of voice. Each word pronounced with a titanic effort. An exhibition that seemed unjust, let’s face it. Ours
Father we would have prevented him.
And then the surprise of that last tour to greet the crowd – there were about fifty thousand people – who seemed excessive to us. As if the Pope, we now say it in the infinite mourning for his death, He wanted to conclude his life among the faithful. The irrepressible desire of an anime shepherd. And many of the faithful will have thought and feared, like us, who
It was the last time.
We did not say it, with Don Filippo and with Ignazio, but we had very few hopes. Right in the Jubilee of hope. On Easter day. Later I found myself saying that the Pope’s appearance, in his fixity, had something « cadaveric ». I was ashamed of my thoughts.
The last words written by Francesco, in the Easter Triduum, are his will as he was rightly said. Maybe he wrote them really thinking that they were the last. « Easter is the feast of life », but he knew he had very little, of life, in front of him. « Hope does not disappoint, spes non confundit ». He had no more hope for himself. Celebrated the resurrection of Christ in the extreme fragility of an existence that would be consumed A few hours after a completely special Easter. Contemporary, rare event, to the entire Christian world.
The party lasted very little. In the days that preceded its end, Francesco wrote: « How much will we see death every day in the many conflicts that affect different parts of the world ». He thought and
prayed to the last for the others, The last, the suffering, his true people, knowing, like Jesus, that his time had come to the end. Yet we must never stop « hoping that peace is possible ». There is no limit in giving others either When you would have every right to focus on yourself. The real message for everyone was this: in the construction of peace each of us can do something more.
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