Por Redaccion 
The Oviedo Cathedral hosted the funeral for the eternal rest of Pope Francis on Monday, April 28th. The Pope passed away on Easter Monday morning, and his funeral was held the previous Saturday at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. The burial began at 12:00 pm in a cathedral filled with faithful who were surprised by a power outage that left the temple in darkness during Archbishop Jesús Sanz Montes’ homily.
Despite the power outage initially thought to only affect the Cathedral, the Archbishop was able to conclude his speech and continue with the Eucharist, speaking aloud. Among those attending the burial were regional authorities, led by the President of the Principality of Asturias, Adrián Barbón, the Government Delegate in Asturias, Adriana Lastra, the President of the General Assembly, Juan Cofiño, and the Mayor of Oviedo, Alfredo Canteli. However, Lastra left the temple about ten minutes after the outage to find out what had happened.
Striving to maintain normalcy, Jesús Sanz Montes reflected on the Pope’s last months, highlighting his «dedication and strength» amidst illness. «After being discharged from the hospital, the doctors’ advice was clear and categorical: total confinement for two months. Pope Francis’ response was imperative: take me where the people are,» he emphasized.
A week after the Pope’s passing, Sanz Montes noted that the «various-colored obituaries» from political groups and social organizations are now fading. He remarked, «The proclamations of those who claim the legacy of the Holy Father, waving their own flags, making him a partner in their interests, or aligning him with a particular way of seeing and living life, will gradually fade away,» he said.
Thus, he emphasized the «difficult» task of making a «serene» assessment of the legacy left by the Pope, highlighting that he «stirred consciences,» fought for freedoms, and did not betray values.
THREE IMAGES
Sanz Montes wanted to recall his personal encounters with the Pope and highlighted three images that, in his opinion, have defined his legacy.
The first refers to his visit to Lampedusa in 2013 following the deaths of immigrants arriving in Italian shores on rafts, fleeing «their dictatorial hells, fratricidal wars, and the famines of their miseries.»
The second, he continued, was during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic when he climbed the steps to the empty platform at St. Peter’s Square. «There was a father assuming the pain of all humanity in those moments of tremendous uncertainty, even fear of the unpredictable consequences of that situation,» he stated.
The third, he indicated, took place on the Immaculate Conception day in 2022 when, in prayer before the Virgin’s image, he «ended up crying inconsolably for not being able to offer peace in Ukraine that evening.»