Hundreds of thousands of mourners, alongside more than 50 world leaders, gathered at St. Peter’s Square on Saturday to bid farewell to Pope Francis, the Catholic Church’s first Latin American leader.
The Vatican reported that around 250,000 people filled the square, with many arriving overnight to secure a place. Under bright blue skies, applause broke out as the pope’s simple wooden coffin was carried out of St. Peter’s Basilica by white-gloved pallbearers, flanked by over 200 red-robed cardinals.
US President Donald Trump, making his first foreign trip of his second term, joined the solemn ceremony, alongside notable figures such as Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, France’s President Emmanuel Macron, and Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Trump and Zelensky met briefly inside the basilica, their first face-to-face meeting since a diplomatic clash earlier in the year.
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, in his homily, described Francis as “a pope among the people” who pushed for a more compassionate and inclusive Church. He highlighted the late pope’s efforts to build bridges rather than walls, calling for peace, justice, and care for migrants and the vulnerable.
Pope Francis, who died on Monday at age 88 from a stroke and heart failure, was known for his simplicity and humility, choosing to live in a Vatican guesthouse rather than the Apostolic Palace. His final wish was fulfilled as he was laid to rest in a marble tomb at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, marked only with the Latin inscription “Franciscus.”
Security for the event was tight, with fighter jets on standby and snipers stationed on rooftops around the Vatican. Despite tensions with some nations over Francis’s outspoken positions, including Israel’s criticism of his stance on Gaza, the funeral drew a remarkable gathering of global figures.
Francis’s papacy, lasting 12 years, is widely credited with reshaping the Catholic Church’s approach to issues like LGBTQ+ inclusion, migration, and poverty, while also facing challenges in maintaining traditional teachings. As Vatican mourning begins, attention will now turn to the conclave, where cardinals will elect the 267th pope to lead the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
For many like Jeremie Metais from France, the funeral was a symbol of unity: “It’s a bit like the centre of the world today,” he said.
