On Saturday, January 17, in the church of Santa Maria alle Fornaci, just steps from the Vatican, a funeral Mass was celebrated. The presence of five cardinals—Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State; Stanislaw Dziwisz, Archbishop Emeritus of Krakow; Konrad Krajewski, the Pope’s almoner; James Michael Harvey, Archpriest of the Papal Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls; Beniamino Stella, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Clergy—along with Archbishops Edgar Peña Parra, Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State, and Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States, as well as dozens of monsignors and priests, made it clear that this was the funeral of a special person. Indeed, final farewells were being said to Angelo Gugel, who died on January 15, the historic chamber assistant to three pontiffs: John Paul I, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI. Previously, he had served in the Vatican Gendarmerie and in the Governorship of Vatican City State.

The Papal Chamber Assistant is one of the figures in the Papal Household, tasked with directly assisting the Pope in daily life. Angelo performed various duties in the papal apartment, always available whenever something was needed. At times he served at table. During trips, he handled the Pope’s luggage. He accompanied him to audiences: for example, he held a tray with rosaries that the Pope distributed to guests and took care of the gifts people brought to the Pope. During John Paul II’s mountain vacations, Angelo spent most of his time by his side. He was always with the Pope, together with the papal secretary and the gendarmes who ensured his security. His work became indispensable when the Pope could no longer move independently. In the countless photographs of John Paul II, you can see the chamber assistant at his side: Angelo became “the Pope’s shadow.”

It is no surprise that Angelo Gugel’s funeral was attended, alongside his family, by many people from the Vatican, including numerous priests, gendarmes, colleagues, and friends who had known and appreciated him during his long service in the shadow of St. Peter’s dome.

Pope Leo XIV deemed it appropriate to send a telegram on the occasion of the funeral rite. In it, Gugel’s professional journey within Vatican institutions was reviewed, but above all his service in the papal apartment, “where he carried out a delicate and appreciated work, dedicating himself daily” to the Pontiffs—a silent but fundamental presence in the Pope’s ordinary life.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin delivered the homily at the funeral Mass. At the beginning, the Secretary of State offered a moving portrait of Gugel: “In the days that mark our lives, time is not measured by minutes or hours, but by encounters and the faces of people. Today we are saying goodbye to a man whose face we always saw next to that of Saint John Paul II. If we are here today, it is because we want to pray together with Angelo—a good man, an exemplary father, a much-loved husband, a serious and respected worker, beloved by his friends, gentle and just. Anyone who approached him could not forget the clarity of his eyes and the brightness of his smile, because from those eyes and that smile shone the intimate joy of his soul: the joy of being in friendship with his God, the joy of his total and cordial belonging to the holy Catholic Church, the joy of serving holy Pontiffs, the joy of being surrounded by his children, his wife, and his beloved granddaughters.”

“I like to imagine—and in faith I am certain—that welcoming him into Paradise was none other than Saint John Paul II, who would have repeated to him those well-known and profound words: ‘Dear brother Angelo, do not be afraid to be welcomed by Christ and to accept His lordship!’”

“With his faithful and discreet service to the Popes—John Paul I and Benedict XVI for a brief period, and John Paul II for a long time—Angelo taught us a fundamental aspect of being Christians: entrusting ourselves and placing ourselves in God’s hands to carry out His work in everyday life. Angelo’s everyday life was entirely marked by dedication: dedication to his family, to those in need, and especially to Pope John Paul II, always in discretion and silence. Indeed, it is precisely in this trait of dedication—in how much each of us gives to others—that faith is born and our belief is strengthened, even through small gestures, an encounter, a caress, a greeting,” the Cardinal continued.

Recalling the words of John Paul II, who taught us: “By saying ‘yes’ to Christ, man says ‘yes’ to every one of his noblest ideals (…) Do not be afraid to entrust yourselves to Him. He will guide you, He will give you the strength to follow Him every day and in every situation,” Cardinal Parolin went on: “Our Angelo, by saying yes to Christ, made it possible for Him to guide him and give him the strength to follow Him every day and in every situation. Our faith teaches us that this can happen to each of us every day, if we have the courage to believe. If we have the courage to open our hearts to God, we can perform the miracle of dedicating time and energy to those in need, to the lonely, to those who suffer, to those who have lost hope, to those who no longer find meaning in their lives. Jesus expresses this miracle of the life of faith with a phrase from the Gospel of Matthew: ‘Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.’”

Later, the Cardinal reflected on the final period of Angelo’s life: “When someone leaves us, a void is created, small or large, and it is human to think about the things we could have done, the words we wanted him to hear one last time… but I believe that the strength of spirit and serenity shown by Angelo in recent months tell everyone that problems, hardships, and illness, when lived with the Lord, can be overcome; they can become places of faith and opportunities for witness (…) The life of a believing man, the life of every person who lives their faith with joy, becomes the possibility of experiencing God’s presence, of God drawing near to each of us and continuing to converse with us as He did with the disciples of Emmaus (…). That is why celebrating the funeral of a loved one, of a witness to the faith, does not mean celebrating an end, but rather an occasion to renew our faith so that we may look forward with the certainty of not being alone, learn to see with new eyes, and listen to the Voice of God that also illuminates death. Psalm 27 expresses this experience with marvelous words: The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid? One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.”

At the end of the homily, Cardinal Parolin spoke again of Angelo and “his” Pope: “I am certain that as soon as they met, John Paul II said to Angelo the same words he said to the young people at the end of the Vigil at Tor Vergata in August 2000: ‘I have waited so long to meet you and see you…’ and now together they are praying to Mary just as they prayed to Her in Lourdes in August 2004”; he concluded by reciting the words of that Marian prayer.

Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, Archbishop Emeritus of Krakow and former secretary to Saint John Paul II, also offered a brief greeting to Angelo Gugel’s family. “I join the family and all of us present in prayer for the soul of dear Angelo, that the merciful arms of the Heavenly Father may welcome him into the heavenly Jerusalem, granting him the reward of the just, and with gratitude for his faithful service throughout the entire pontificate of John Paul II, carried out with a sense of duty and fidelity to the Church and her Pontiffs,” said Cardinal Dziwisz.

After the funeral Mass, the coffin containing Angelo Gugel’s mortal remains was taken to Veneto, to his native town of Miane, where on January 19 the burial rite took place in the local cemetery.