Pope Francis’ funeral has noisy boys at the back in Knight’s view

The picture paints a thousand words. The photograph of US President Donald Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sitting on chairs nose to nose on the marble floor in the middle of St Peter’s Basilica* moments before Pope Francis’ funeral was such a picture.

We should not be surprised, though, when anything involves President Trump. He is a headline on two legs. He wore a blue suit and tie to a funeral where black is strictly the dress regulation. He stood out like a sore thumb seated among other world leaders.

The leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, who took his papal* name from Saint Francis of Assisi*, wanted a simple and humble funeral. That’s a challenge when it’s being held in the elaborate Vatican, but the simple wooden coffin displayed the Pope’s position on connecting with the poor and the meek*.

The casket sat outside St Peter’s during the service surrounded by thousands of guests and the cardinals* of the church. When I was watching the telecast of the funeral, I saw all those people focused on the small wooden coffin and was moved by the devotion and adoration of the faithful in attendance.

I felt I would draw a cartoon on the service based on this scene.

Then the photo of Zelenskyy and Trump emerged afterwards. I was transfixed* by that image. These two men, seemingly at loggerheads*, now face-to-face in the Vatican. It was obviously God’s work to get these two into the same room!

That’s when I thought I could draw a cartoon that combined these two historic events. And so I drew the coffin in St Peter’s Square surrounded by guests and all the cardinals in their red robes. They should all be focused on the funeral, but as sometimes happens in human nature, something is distracting them.

Behind the cardinals are the US President and the Ukrainian leader seated face-to-face. To the dismay of the cardinal saying prayers over the casket, he notices all the cardinals are now looking at what’s going on offstage. Who wouldn’t be distracted by that? The cartoon is a study in human behaviour and what grabs our attention.

People have said to me after looking at the cartoon that the meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump was Pope Francis’ final gift to the world. His funeral brings the two leaders together to hopefully find an end to a war. God works in mysterious ways for sure. Amen.

POLL

GLOSSARY

• basilica: style of public building in ancient Rome that was round at one end and had two rows of columns supporting the roof, or a large church with a similar design
• papal: of or relating to the pope
• Saint Francis of Assisi: an Italian friar who lived in Italy in the 13th century, Saint Francis lived a life of ascetic poverty and was dedicated to Christian charity
• meek: quiet, gentle, calm but also can also mean being unable to express yourself or deferring to others
• cardinals: very high ranking priest, a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church
• transfixed: mesmerised, spellbound, captivated
• loggerheads: being in a state of disagreement and conflict

EXTRA READING

Remembering Pope Francis

Mark Knight does ‘Liberation Day’

Trump’s ‘Octagon Office’ diplomacy

QUICK QUIZ

1. Who was photographed having a tense exchange moments before Pope Francis’ funeral service?
2. What part of his appearance made Donald Trump stand out among other world leaders?
3. What scene moved Mark Knight during the telecast?
4. What kind of casket was Pope Francis laid to rest in?
5. Mark intends the cartoon as a study of what?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Values, identities and actions
Study today’s Mark Knight cartoon and answer the following questions about the work:

What values does this cartoon invite us to think about?

Who is this cartoon speaking about? And who is this work trying to speak to?

What actions might the viewpoint in the cartoon encourage?

Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

2. Extension
How can cartoonists like Mark Knight encourage or change people’s opinions on a controversial subject or topic?

Do you think his work needs approval before going to print? Explain your answer.

Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
Stretch your sentence
Find a “who” in the cartoon – a person or an animal. Write it down.

Add three adjectives to describe them better.

Now add a verb to your list. What are they doing?

Add an adverb about how they are doing the action.

Using all the words listed, create one descriptive sentence.