Gedney Hill man says he feels ‘incredibly proud’ to take on security duties at Pope Francis’s funeral

A former biker says he is getting ready to take on security duties at the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome this weekend.

As part of his role as a Templar, Brother John Michael, of Gedney Hill, will be patrolling and responding to any emergencies which arise at St Peters Square in the Vatican City.

Tens of thousands of Catholics and other Christians have flocked to Rome to pay tribute to Pope Francis – who died on Easter Monday (April 21).

Ahead of the funeral, Templars from across the UK have been asked to support the Vatican security forces by escorting the huge crowds.

John made the trip to Rome yesterday (Thursday) not knowing what his role would involve. He said: “All of the Templars are slowly arriving at St Peter’s Square and I feel incredibly proud to be part of it and help with everything we can.

“There is currently an eight hour wait for people to get into St Peter’s Basilica to see the Pope and we have been asked to help guide people to where they need to go – as time goes on more and more people will be visiting.

“The crowds are overwhelming the Vatican security forces at the moment, not because they are a problem, but because there are so many people.

“All Christians of all walks of life are coming together in their sorrow of losing such a great man – it’s quite emotional.”

The Knights Templar were a religious military order originally founded to protect Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land.

John hopes to represent Lincolnshire and the United Kingdom when he carries out his duties at the weekend.

He added: “It’s going to be a massive event and for us as Templars, it’s our calling to serve Pope Francis and to serve the next Pope.

“It was very significant that Pope Francis died last weekend but I feel very proud to represent England in Rome as a security officer.

“It’s great that such a little village such as Gedney Hill has a temporary commander in it, and now I will be representing all Catholics and Christians over the weekend.”