A British tourist who had travelled to Rome for Holy Week has spoken of the sombre atmosphere in the city following the death of Pope Francis.
Antoni Bohdanowicz, 39, from Berkshire, had come to the Italian capital with his wife Jelena and her family as part of a pilgrimage as a tribute to her late mother.
The couple, who attended the Easter Sunday service in St Peter’s Square, said they were shocked by the late pontiff’s appearance as he greeted pilgrims and tourists from the popemobile.
“He was in an awful state on Easter Sunday,” Mr Bohdanowicz told the PA news agency from Rome.
“Everybody was aware of his health, but the atmosphere was quite joyous.
“He had pilgrims from all over the world. I was standing next to Slovakians, Colombians and a group of pilgrims from Lesotho.”
Pope Francis, who was the first Latin American pontiff, died in the early hours of Easter Monday at the age of 88.
Mr Bohdanowicz, who is half Polish, said he returned to St Peter’s Square to pay his respects.
“People on the square were touched, they were crying,” he said.
Mr Bohdanowicz, who works in procurement, said that although he had seen Pope Francis back in 2015 this was his first time attending Easter Sunday in Vatican City.
“My wife’s family wanted to do a pilgrimage as a tribute to her mum who passed away 10 years ago,” he said.
“They want to do a special pilgrimage, because she always promised that she’d go to Rome for Easter but it never happened.
“I had the feeling that something was going to happen, either before or after the trip.”
The funeral of Pope Francis will take place on Saturday, with his body going on public display from Wednesday for mourners to pay their respects.
Mr Bohdanowicz, who is returning to the UK on Wednesday, said he hopes to pay his respects in St Peter’s Basilica before he leaves.
Francis’s death, following a cerebral stroke that led to a coma and irreversible heart failure, prompted an outpouring of tributes across the globe.
The King, who met Francis earlier this month, said he was someone who had “profoundly touched the lives of so many”, while Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he had been “a pope for the poor, the downtrodden and the forgotten”.
His papacy emphasised the defence of the environment and partial openness to LGBTQ+ rights, and he was praised globally for his strong advocacy for the poor and marginalised.
