Pope Francis calls mother of young man who passed away following WYD

The Holy Father "cried with me" and "consoled me as if he were my father," says the mother of 24-year-old Luca, who died of a virus days after attending the WYD in Lisbon

By Paolo Ondarza and Deborah Castellano Lubov

In northern Italy, the Church of Sant'Ilario in Marnate in the province of Varese, where city-wide mourning was proclaimed, was packed Friday morning for the funeral of Luca Re Sartù, a 24-year-old who died of a bacterium a few days after returning from World Youth Day.

The requiem Mass was attended by numerous people, including family members, friends wearing Lisbon WYD shirts, acquaintances, civic leaders, and many others touched by the young man's witness of faith and selflessness. The large turnout was a consolation for Luca's family, devastated by grief.

Earlier, Luca's mother had received an unexpected phone call from Pope Francis. With great emotion, she shared this event, directly, with the Auxiliary Bishop of Milan, Luca Raimondi, who celebrated the funeral.

Luca's mother, Bishop Raimondi said, was greatly struck by Pope Francis' gesture and closeness." The mother's verbatim words," he told Vatican News, "were, 'When you see him [the Pope], thank him for his exquisite kindness.