Senior Vatican Cardinal Pietro Parolin led a rosary prayer at the St Mary Major Basilica in Rome on Tuesday evening, honouring the memory of the late Pope Francis.
Cardinal Parolin has held the position of Secretary of State of the Vatican since 2013, and has been a member of the Council of Cardinals since 2014.
The basilica, where the Pope will be buried, had special significance to Francis as the home of his favourite icon of the Virgin Mary. Outside, crowds gathered to pay their respects to the late Holy Father.
“His legacy, apart from his memory and his texts, I think it will be his actions. (He made) Strong actions, actions that will remain in the memory of all Catholics, and above all, (his actions) will open new discussions, new behaviour in the Church towards God’s people,” said Pedro Marques, a priest who has travelled from Portugal for the Pope’s funeral.
For Ines Ramirez, a nun from El Salvador, the rosary was particularly emotional.
“I feel the emotions of what he always asked of us: to not forget to pray for him. And we, (as) pilgrims in the world, want to say to him to never stop praying for us, (as we are) his children, and we will always listen to his prayers,” she said.
Tributes to the late Pope continue to pour in from around the world as nations mourn his passing.
In Ecuador, where Pope Francis paid a visit in 2015, the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador has opened a book of commemoration for the public to sign.
“Well I think his style allowed the church to take a different step, a step towards peace, towards social justice, towards inclusion and I think it is very important that this vision is maintained,” explained Johana Heredia, a Catholic faithful at the signing.
“Not only a vision that the church should review but that the world needs urgently,” she added.
Meanwhile, the Cuban government decreed an official mourning period from 6am to 12pm on Tuesday, and ordered that the country’s flag be flown at half-mast in public buildings and institutions.
In Cairo, Egyptian Coptic Catholics attended a prayer service at the Holy Virgin Mary Coptic Catholic Cathedral.
“We extend our condolences to the Church and express our sympathy to the Catholic Church and all churches,” declared Samy Fawzy, Bishop of the Episcopal Church of Egypt.
“We also mourn the passing of a very great and luminary figure who had a significant impact on the church, someone who reconciled people and offered extraordinary love.”
And in Ukraine, dozens of Catholics in Kyiv attended a memorial service at St. Alexander’s Rome Catholic Cathedral, led by Vitaliy Krivitskiy, the Bishop of the Kyiv-Zhytomyr Diocese.