Archbishop Giuseppe De Andrea, nuncio to Kuwait, Yemen, Bahrain and Qatar, and apostolic delegate in the Arabian Peninsula (Saudi Arabia, Oman and the United Arab Emirates), told ZENIT that the newspaper headlines were moving: «We Are All Orphans.»
«The newspapers dedicated the front page, many inside pages and photographs to the Pope,» he said. He added that his office received the condolences of the authorities, as well as notes from many diplomats.
«All said to me that our loss was their loss. In the Pope they saw a friend, a guide, but above all a person of peace,» Archbishop De Andrea said.
«Catholic celebrations these days have been massive,» he added. Four thousand people attended the Pope’s funeral Mass in the cathedral of Kuwait, the prelate said.
«All seven countries of the peninsula sent a delegation to the funeral, including the three that do not have diplomatic relations with us,» he said, referring to Saudi Arabia, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. «What has happened is amazing and gratifying.»
