How we like good funerals

At the end of the Pope's funeral, journalist Jordi Llisterri congratulated TV3 for "the sobriety and dignity of the broadcast," lamenting that there are times when these kinds of events are portrayed as if they were football matches. The adjectives fit what we saw. Carles Costa divided the table among the experts at the table: the in-house journalist Mireia Prats and Francesc Romeu, a journalist and priest, a frequent contributor on ecclesiastical matters. As has been common since Francis's death, at times the reporting and analysis eventually drifted into an evangelical emotionalism that somewhat lost its detachment. From Rome, Xavi Coral and Ferran Moreno completed the look at a monumental and sumptuous staging. Despite Pope Francis's desire to tone down the Vatican parade and the journalistic inertia of talking about simplicity, the spectacle was majestic and theatrical. The geometric shapes drawn by the orderly crowd of mourners, the architectural design of Sant Pere Square, the uniform chromatic zones created by the religious attire, and the epic visual narrative of the drones and overhead cameras made it inevitable to think of the cinematic influence of Leni Riefen.

The Vatican knows perfectly well how to glorify the institution. As soon as the coffin appeared, the production cut from above to enhance the spirituality of the moment, as if God were just another spectator. Transitions where the coffin bearers suffered under the load were avoided: when they had to go up or down stairs, conveying hesitation and excessive shaking, shots were changed to censor the ordeal and not detract from the perfection of the ritual. A recurring shot observed how the wind turned the pages of the Gospel on the coffin, as if the Holy Spirit was moving the pages. It went from close-up shots to majestic long shots. From the hands and rings of the cardinals praying to the immensity of the square and the Roman skyline, hovering over the assembled crowd. The cameras were ready for the interactions of the great leaders, especially at the moment of giving the peace. At the end of the liturgy, during the litanies, the visual language was reversed: it was no longer an aerial camera observing what was happening on earth, but, with a low-angle shot from the square, we were shown only the sky and the clouds, as if Francis's soul were already up there. As the official car carrying the remains toured Rome, it was striking how the people waiting along the way, instead of applauding, filmed the vehicle's passage with their cell phones. So many arms raised in a row to capture the image seemed more like an unfortunate greeting than an act of homage. Coincidentally or not, as the basilica bell rang, the news broke: images of the meeting between Trump and Zelensky inside. It could be attributed to the effects of funeral diplomacy, or, if the peace negotiations were to come to fruition, it could always be said to have been a posthumous miracle by Pope Francis and the perfect excuse to make him a saint.