Cardinal Giovanni Battista Rei, on behalf of the College of Cardinals, thanked the Mayor of Rome for the assistance and cooperation provided by the city during the illness and funeral of Pope Francis. In a letter to Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri, the Dean of the College of Cardinals, he noted that the city of Rome and its volunteers have provided valuable services, including transportation, to the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims and faithful who have arrived in Rome in recent days.

In his letter, the Cardinal also recalled the services of the Rome administration and other entities to facilitate the journey to the Vatican of official delegations from various regions of Italy , Europe and other parts of the world. In his message, Cardinal Rei noted that Rome was close to the Pope in recent days, especially during his illness and death, with the countless faithful who came to the Vatican.

He recalled that the city of Rome also participated in the Pope's death along with the faithful who came from different parts of the world and stood at the forefront to provide the necessary facilities for them to pay their last respects before the Pope's body. Cardinal Re expressed his gratitude to the government, public and private organizations, volunteers and all citizens of Rome, the capital of Italy. Meanwhile, thousands of pilgrims are arriving at the Vatican every day to visit the Basilica of St. Mary Major, where the Pope's tomb is located. Extensive arrangements have been made for this too.