Hundreds of religious figures, diplomats and faithful from various branches of Christianity said goodbye to Pope Francis today in a requiem mass at the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City of Jerusalem, international media reported.
Not only Catholic Christians from the Holy Land (a name often used to refer to Jerusalem), but also Orthodox and Protestant Christians came to pay homage to Francis, according to the Spanish news agency EFE.
"Jerusalem is deeply saddened by the death of Francis. We wish him a rest in heaven. We love him because he always defended peace," Issa Anis Kassissieh, a Palestinian Orthodox Christian whose family is part of one of the oldest Christian communities in Jerusalem, told EFE.
"I hope that the war in the Holy Land ends and that the next Pope continues the same project of talking about peace," Kassissieh added.
The Mass, accompanied by Latin chants and the Basilica's organ, was organized by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, who is considered a strong candidate to lead the Catholic Church.
The nearly two-hour liturgy - held in front of the aedicule where, according to Christian tradition, Jesus Christ was buried before his resurrection - was also attended by Francesco Patton, leader of the Franciscan order Custody of the Holy Land, who praised the "closeness of the late Pope to ordinary people and humanity".
"All of us who live in the Holy Land feel a deep debt of gratitude to Pope Francis. He cared for us until the end, welcomed us into his heart until his last day, and prayed for our peace until his last breath," Patton added, alongside a photo of Francis.
The pope called frequently, including two days before his death, to the only Catholic parish in the Gaza Strip, the Sagrada Familia, to speak to the nuns and the vicar, asking them about the children in the Palestinian enclave, the scene of a war between Israel and the radical group Hamas, and whether they had enough food.
In his speech, Patton also mentioned the evils of anti-Semitism and the "death and destruction" caused in the Gaza Strip, where the Israeli offensive has already caused more than 51,200 deaths, according to data from the enclave's Health Ministry, the majority of them women and children.
Pope Francis died on Monday at the age of 88, victim of a stroke, after 12 years of pontificate.
Born in Buenos Aires on December 17, 1936, Francisco was the first Jesuit and the first Latin American to reach the leadership of the Catholic Church.
His last public appearance was on Easter Sunday, at the Vatican, on the eve of his death.
Pope Francis was hospitalized for 38 days due to bilateral pneumonia, and was discharged on March 23.
Pope Francis' funeral is scheduled for next Saturday morning at the Vatican, with several world leaders confirmed to be in attendance.
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