First Minister Michelle O’Neill has stated it used to be a “huge honour” to be at Pope Francis’ funeral, representing “all those people at home who looked towards him for spiritual leadership”.
O’Neill, who lower brief a circle of relatives vacation to wait, stated it used to be a “huge historic moment”.
She stated Pope Francis were “admired by so many, myself included”.
Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly didn’t attend the funeral.
Speaking to BBC News NI after the funeral, O’Neill referred to as Pope Francis “a man of humility, a man who practised what he preached and was very much on the side of the marginalised and of the poor, who spoke up against injustice wherever he saw it”.