'He carried the Middle East in his heart': Arab mourners in the Vatican bid farewell to Pope Francis

Arab mourners among thousands from around the world who have flocked to St Peter’s Basilica to pay their final respects

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Tens of thousands of mourners have flocked to St Peter’s Basilica to pay their final respects to Pope Francis on the second of three days of his lying in state.

Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday aged 88 after a stroke and heart failure, was last seen in public calling for an end to the war in Gaza during his final sermon the day before.

He was widely praised for his dedication to the marginalised, for his humility and for his commitment to interfaith dialogue.

Some travelled from the Middle East – the birthplace of Christianity and home to a mosaic of communities, including Egypt’s Copts, Iraq's Chaldeans and Lebanon's Maronites – to attend the commemoration.

Among them was Antoine Dib, Superior General of the Basilian Salvatorians, a monastic order within the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, who arrived from Lebanon on Thursday.

Father Dib, who knew Pope Francis and met him frequently, said the pontiff had a significant impact on the region. “He always focused on peaceful coexistence and interreligious dialogue, as well as openness,” he said.

People use smartphones to capture the sunset around St Peter's Basilica on April 24. AFP

Pope Francis’s visit to Abu Dhabi in 2019 – the first papal visit to the Arabian Peninsula – where he signed the Document on Human Fraternity with the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, Dr Ahmed Al Tayeb, was widely seen as a powerful symbol of interfaith brotherhood.

Fr Dib said that Pope Francis first encountered Eastern Churches in his native Argentina, home to large communities from the Middle East diaspora.

“He carried the Middle East in his heart,” he said. “He respected everyone, especially in situations of marginalisation and oppression. He felt compelled to be present, to share his message – a message he deeply believed in – centred on human dignity and value.”

Father Dib said the Pope “was very humble; truly, deeply humble. He lived like anyone else. Even in his funeral, he chose simplicity and poverty, because something greater guided his life: the love of God and of others. He lived close to the people. He lived like them because people could speak to him freely, without barriers.”

Ordinary faithful

Like Fr Dib, many religious figures are expected to attend the commemoration, including representatives from Eastern churches in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Egypt.

But the commemoration has also drawn faithful congregations.

The Thursday flight from Beirut to Rome was full of Lebanese pilgrims from a local parish. The group had planned to travel to Rome for the canonisation of Carlo Acutis, a young Italian teenager set to become the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint, but the death of the Pope changed their original plans.

“We didn’t expect Pope Francis to pass away so suddenly. He was doing better,” Catia Hitti, one of the passengers, told The National.

“He cared about Lebanon, stood against war and supported the deprived. He didn’t care about the rich. He was humble: he washed the feet of inmates.”

Christian clergymen gather before a memorial mass for Pope Francis at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, on April 23. AFP

Pope Francis included women and people of other faiths in the Holy Thursday foot-washing ceremony – a ritual that recalls Jesus washing his disciples’ feet before his death – a historic break from the tradition, which had been limited to Catholic men.

“Everyone loved him, both Muslims and Christians,” Ms Hitti said.

In St Peter’s Square, Karim Eltomy, 44, an Egyptian on holiday in Rome with his family, said it was important for him as a Muslim to pay his respects to the Pope.

“I know the Pope was very valuable to Catholics, and for us, all religious leaders are important because we’re all moving in the same direction, with the same intention,” he said.

“For us, he was someone who promoted what is right. What I see as differences between religions is far less than what they have in common that they share.”