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<\/figure>\n\n\n\n“The Pope of the poor, of the marginalized, of those whom no one wants, of those whom many exclude,” said Garc\u00eda Cuerva to the dismayed faces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Near the cathedral, where Bergoglio was archbishop for fifteen years, there was chaos around the Plaza de Mayo, due to honking horns and whistles of traffic agents amid the constant movement of people rushing to the church’s doors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The pain of the heart is great because our Holy Father is gone. Our father, the Holy Father of the Argentines, whom we did not always understand but whom we loved deeply,” Cuerva continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those present respectfully disguised the need to break the silence and express their tears, some hiding in the side altars that honor Mary or other saints, others standing with their heads bowed, leaning against the marble pillars or at the back of the church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The best tribute we can pay is to unite, build bridges, dialogue, and stop confronting each other all the time. Because if he was Holy Father, what greater pain could he have than to see his children divided. May Francis go to heaven with the peace of mind that his children will try to live in the national unity that is so lacking among us,” the archbishop concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The altar was draped in a black mantle and enveloped with a smiling Francis covered in white floral arrangements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Buenos Aires’ Pope<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Gustavo Fernandez, a pensioner who barely makes ends meet, took two buses and the subway to get to the cathedral. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He told EFE that he had to pray for Bergoglio, whom he defined as “a priest very dedicated to the needs of the people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“He was the priest that many were not: he was at the side of the most needy. A man who, despite being Pope, was still a priest, Bergoglio, and that was a change in the Catholic Church,” he added, covering his red and swollen eyes with sunglasses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“What hurts me the most is that he did not come to his country to visit. Of the 266 popes, he was the only Latin American. He never came because, unfortunately, I think he got caught up in the rift of Argentine politics,” he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Until the Pope is laid to rest in the Vatican, Masses will be celebrated in the Cathedral of Buenos Aires, churches, parishes, and chapels throughout the country, especially in the slums and popular neighborhoods that Bergoglio visited and tended to.<\/p>\n\n\n
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