The main celebrant of the funeral mass for Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva, Bishop D. Manuel Linda of Porto, addressed a special message to the deceased player's three children - Dinis, Mafalda and Duarte:

Dear Dinis, Mafalda and Duarte – children who could not be here right now. You may not yet fully understand what is happening around you, but you must be suffering a lot. I will pray for you. However, your mother and grandparents feel the loss even more. Seeing the remains of a child is a torment for any parent – and two at once. There are no words for this, only feelings. We are here now to show you: we feel with you, we share the pain

– he said. The bishop reminded us: it is human to cry, even Jesus wept when he lost his friend Lazarus – but he also prayed for him and resurrected him.

“We are asking for something similar now: a new life for the abbots and your uncles. Eternal life. Heaven. Paradise,” he added.

In his speech, D. Manuel Linda highlighted the power of faith and love, and the importance of good deeds. He also recalled that Diogo Jota had married just 11 days before his death, and that both he and André had built their lives with hard work, honesty and humanity.

The bishop also thanked the children for the values represented by sports – discipline, respect, community – and then addressed them again:

If it is difficult to see the tears of an adult, there is no sight more painful than the tears of a child. I am thinking of you, your mothers and grandparents, with special love. I am with you – but Jesus is also with you.