Homeless man buried in Vatican cemetery

From Crux: 

Pope Francis was not involved in an early January decision to bury a homeless man in a Vatican cemetery, a spokesman said Wednesday; however, he would likely be pleased because it corresponds with his desire to make the poor a priority.

Known by Vatican personnel for spending his days approaching pilgrims around St. Peter’s Basilica to tell them to go to confession and to pray daily, Willy Herteller, who was Flemish, died in Rome on Dec. 12 at the age of 80.

He was buried in the Vatican’s small German cemetery, which is more commonly a final resting place for aristocrats and bishops.

Addressing the rumors of Pope Francis being involved with the decision, Vatican spokesman the Rev. Ciro Benedettini said that the pontiff had nothing to do with it.

The first to notice Herteller’s absence from the area around the basilica in mid-December was Italian Monsignor Americo Ciani, who serves as a judge on the Roman Rota, a canon law court that mostly handles marriage cases.

After learning that Herteller had died and was lying unclaimed at a local morgue, Ciani decided to give him a proper burial in the German cemetery. (Located behind St. Peter’s Basilica inside Vatican walls, the cemetery is technically considered on Italian soil because of a territorial agreement between Italy and the Holy See.)

Benedettini said that Vatican employees regarded Herteller as a good man who attended Mass twice a day in the church of St. Anna, known as the papal chapel since it’s also inside Vatican grounds.

“He used to say that receiving Communion was his medicine,” Benedettini said.

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Vatican Radio reports:

The pastor of Sant’Anna in the Vatican, Father Bruno Silvestrini, had dedicated the Nativity Scene at Christmas to Willy, adding a homeless man among the shepherds. He loved to pray, he had a good heart, attended the morning Mass at St. Anna every day and always sat in the same place.

“For over 25 years he attended the 7:00 Mass”, Fr. Silvestrini told Vatican Radio, explaining why he wanted a homeless among the shepherds in the Nativity Scene. “He was very, very open and had made many friends. He spoke a lot with young people, he spoke to them of the Lord, he spoke of the Pope, he would invite them to the celebration of the Eucharist. He was a rich person, of great faith – said the pastor of St. Anne who added – there were prelates who brought him food on certain days. Then, we no longer saw him, and subsequently we heard about his death. I’ve never seen so many people knocking on my door to ask when the funeral was, how they could help to keep his memory alive … He never asked for anything, rather he was the one who would strike up a conversation and through his questions of faith, suggest a spiritual path to those with whom he spoke”.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him…