In the midst of the crowd on St. Peter's Square, a large group of tourists draped in Ukrainian flags stood out. They come from Ternopil in western Ukraine and had booked their Rome trip long ago when Pope Francis died. As believers belonging to the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, they consider it an honor to attend the funeral.
I'm very sad that he's dead, but we're praying for him together with all the other people who are here today, says Lesia Zamordska.
As Ukrainians, we thank Pope Francis for all his prayers and his faith in peace for our country. For us, he was an angel of peace.
Before the ceremony began, she managed to catch a glimpse of the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj.
We pray to God that they come to an agreement on something. The war doesn't end. Our men are dying and our country is being destroyed.
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