Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II smiles as she talks with Pope Francis on the Vatican, Thursday, April 3, 2014. Stefano Rellandini, Related Press
Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral on Monday introduced collectively spiritual and political leaders from throughout the globe, however Pope Francis was not amongst them.
The pope despatched one other Catholic chief in his place: Archbishop Paul Gallagher, who's each a priest and a diplomat.
“Vatican sources affirm that Archbishop Paul Gallagher will signify Pope Francis on the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. The archbishop is Secretary for Relations with States (equal of Overseas Minister), and probably the most senior Englishman within the Vatican’s Secretariat of State,” tweeted Gerard O’Connell, who covers the Vatican for America journal, on Thursday.
Archbishop Gallagher was accompanied by a number of different outstanding Catholic leaders, together with Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti, the Holy See’s envoy to Nice Britain.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols, who leads the Catholic Diocese of Westminster, learn a prayer throughout Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral on Monday.
The presence of so many Catholic leaders on the funeral in Nice Britain and past is “a tribute to how the Queen helped to bridge the divide between Catholics and Anglicans,” tweeted Christopher Lamb, the Rome correspondent for Pill journal.
Though Pope Francis didn't attend the funeral, he despatched a message to King Charles II after Queen Elizabeth II’s loss of life. He shared that he was “deeply saddened to study of the loss of life” and praying for the brand new king.
“Upon you and all who cherish the reminiscence of your late mom, I invoke an abundance of divine blessings as a pledge of consolation and energy within the Lord,” the pope mentioned on Sept. 8.
Pope Francis and Queen Elizabeth II met on the Vatican in April 2014.
“You could possibly see there was a really, very heat feeling between them,” O’Connell mentioned through the Sept. 15 episode of “Contained in the Vatican,” the podcast he co-hosts.