Milan, 26 April (LaPresse/AP) – While Pope Francis' funeral was taking place in Rome, thousands of mourners gathered outside the cathedral in Buenos Aires, where Pope Francis used to give his homilies when he was archbishop, to pay tribute to the first Latin American pontiff. Although the funeral mass in St. Peter's Square began at dawn in Buenos Aires, many Argentinians woke up to follow the live broadcast. Hours later, a huge procession made its way to the capital's central square, Plaza de Mayo, for an open-air mass. The faithful filled the streets, some in tears as the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge Garcia Cuerva, delivered his sermon, trying to hold back his tears. ‘We cry because we do not want death to win, we cry because the father of us all has died, we cry because we already feel his physical absence in our hearts,’ said Garcia Cuerva. ‘May our tears be water for our homeland,’ he added.
© Copyright LaPresse
