Mumbai: Catholics citywide are keeping their eyes peeled to television channels and online media as the funeral of the People’s Pope Francis is scheduled to take place in the Vatican Saturday. The pontiff breathed his last April 21.
The archdiocese of Bombay hosted an interfaith prayer service in his honour at Archbishop House, Colaba, Friday. Maharashtra governor CP Radhakrishnan, religious leaders of the Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh, and Jain communities, diplomats and Catholic faithful, reflecting the diversity and unity championed by Francis.

“The service opened with the hymn ‘Make Me a Channel of Your Peace’, a favourite of Pope Francis, setting the tone for an evening of prayer, and ended in the recitation of ‘Our Father’,” said Fr Nigel Barrett, spokesperson for the archdiocese. “Dignitaries offered floral tributes. Martin Maier, consul general of Switzerland and dean of the Diplomatic Corps, praised the Pope’s advocacy for peace. Archbishop John Rodrigues shared personal anecdotes of his meetings with the Pope, and thanked governor Radhakrishnan for expressing a desire to attend this service.”
Pope Francis’s body is lying in state in St Peter’s Basilica with 1.5 lakh mourners having viewed it so far, Vatican said. The coffin will be kept near the Papal Altar until his funeral Saturday.