Cork teacher 'privileged to be in the square and to be part of the mass for Pope Francis'
A view of St Peter's Square during the funeral of Pope Francis. Photo by Salvatore Laporta/KONTROLAB/LightRocket via Getty Images
Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday at the age of 88, was laid to rest on Saturday morning in a funeral attended by world leaders, royalty and thousands of faithful in Rome.
The open-air mass was attended by more than 150 delegations, including 54 heads of state and 12 reigning sovereigns and an estimated total of 200,000 people, according to the Vatican.
Jennifer Buckley, a religion teacher at Coláiste Muire in Cobh, was among those in St Peter’s Square in Rome for the funeral of the Pope.
“I said I would get up early and head down and hope for the best. I was extremely lucky to get into St Peter’s Square for the mass.
“But it was just a huge sense of being privileged to be in the square and to be part of the mass for Pope Francis," she said.
“Everyone was in really good spirits. We were all waiting for a number of hours. But the authorities, the Red Cross, they were handing out water.
“Everyone was just in really good form and there was a huge sense of community and the Catholic community worldwide coming together for the occasion," she added.
"There was around 200,000 people. I have been to Croke Park for All Ireland finals and semi finals, but just multiply that by four. It was just incredible.
“The way everything worked so seamlessly, from security and even down to bathrooms. The authorities here have it down to a fine art it was incredible how well it was organised," Ms Buckley continued.
“Obviously it was a funeral so it was sad. But there was a lovely sense of remembrance and calmness in the Basilica.
“There was no mobile phones allowed really up close, which I thought was really nice because it is a moment where you can just reflect and pray."
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