While young pilgrims in Rome for the canonisation of Blessed Carlo Acutis were saddened to find themselves there for the death of Pope Francis, they say their pilgrimage turned out more spiritually-enriching then hoped.
Led by St Joachim’s Lidcombe parish priest Fr Epeli Qimaqima, the group of approximately 40 people including members of its children’s drama club and their parents, went to Rome on Easter Sunday.
Fr Qimaqima said the group was in St Peter’s Square when the bells rang out to signal the pope had died, which he said was followed by a period of “absolute silence.”
“It was unexpected, but it was a really powerful experience,” he told The Catholic Weekly.
“We were sad but at the same time, there was this aspect of joy from the Easter season.”
They had planned to go to Acutis’ canonisation before heading to the young man’s hometown of Assisi.
However, the canonisation could not go ahead without a pontiff, meaning the group had allocated time in Rome which was now free.
Fr Qimaqima said they used the time which would have been spent on Acutis’ canonisation with the pope as they went to funeral Mass and even hoped to see the pope in his tomb.
“Instead of joining in a time of pure joy, they participated with the whole church in its time of sadness,” he said.
Education Officer, Family Wellbeing and Education Elsa Manu said being present in St Peter’s Square for the announcement of the death of Pope Francis, as well as being able to attend the funeral, was “amazing to experience.”
She also felt it was “meant to be” given Acutis’ own devotion to the pope, that the papal funeral looked and felt in some ways like a World Youth Day.
“It was really profound because, of course, it was a historical opportunity in particular especially to be able to view the Holy Father,” she said.
“We really understood that perhaps this was Carlo’s plan because the funeral itself was full of teenagers, teenagers who had come to Rome and had planned to come for Carlo’s canonisation were now here for the funeral.”
She said while Pope Francis’ funeral became a big focus of the tour the group still travelled on to see Acutis’ resting place, Santa Maria Maggiore in Assisi, and spend time with him there.
“It was really surreal, I don’t think we expected him to be so accessible,” she said.
“He’s just there, at the side of a beautiful chapel, as soon as you walk in you can see him.”
Manu said the hard work the children put in as part of their preparation and performance of the play about Acutis’ life enriched the experience of seeing the young man in his tomb.
“I think they needed to actually see him firsthand after talking about him, playing him, playing parts in his life,” she said.
“It just meant so much to be there in Assisi and to actually be close to him and them to have a Mass right there in the chapel straight after, it’s something that they are never going to forget.”
Francesca Manu, Manu’s nine-year-old daughter, was similarly moved by the pilgrimage, as she has a deep admiration for both Acutis and Pope Francis.
“It was very cool because there were a lot of people and we could actually see the pope, it was very nice,” she said.
She was also moved by the sight of Acutis in his tomb, though she found it “a bit weird.”
“I’ve never seen someone who has died but their body is still there,” she said.
“It was also very amazing seeing someone who’s going to become a saint.”
Acutis, often called the first Millennial saint, lived in Milan and used the internet to inform people about and share his love for Christ’s presence in the Eucharist before his death from leukemia at 15.
The canonisation of Acutis has been indefinitely postponed.
