Presidents, royalty, and thousands of ordinary mourners gathered on Saturday to bid farewell to Pope Francis at his funeral in St. Peter’s Square, where a cardinal urged that the late pontiff’s devotion to migrants, the vulnerable, and the environment should not end with his passing.
On one side of Francis’ casket sat U.S. President Donald Trump, who had often been at odds with the pope on these very issues.
On the opposite side sat cardinals, now tasked with deciding whether to maintain Francis’ progressive course or steer the Church back toward a more traditional approach.
“Rich in human warmth and deeply sensitive to today’s challenges, Pope Francis truly shared the anxieties, sufferings and hopes of this time,” declared Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re during the funeral Mass.
Francis, the first Latin American pope, passed away on Monday at the age of 88 after suffering a stroke, concluding a 12-year reign marked by efforts to transform the Roman Catholic Church.
The crowd erupted in applause as Re recalled Francis’ compassion for immigrants, his relentless appeals for peace, and his concern for the environment.
Applause also greeted the solemn moment when 14 white-gloved pallbearers carried the cross-adorned coffin out of St. Peter’s Basilica into the square.
Aerial images revealed a colorful tapestry across the Vatican grounds—black-clad world leaders, cardinals robed in red, bishops in purple, and 4,000 priests in white.
Latin hymns filled the air as prayers were offered in Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese, and Arabic, highlighting the Church’s global reach.
From the early hours, the faithful had flocked to St. Peter’s, with many camping overnight to secure a close view. The Vatican estimated around 200,000 people had gathered at the ceremony’s start.
“We want to say goodbye because he (was a) living saint, very humble and simple,” said Mary James, a Franciscan nun who had stayed awake all night to ensure a good spot.
Dignitaries from Around the World
Francis’ death set in motion a carefully choreographed period of mourning steeped in ancient traditions. In the three days leading up to the funeral, around 250,000 mourners filed past his open coffin in the grand, 16th-century basilica.
Before taking their seats, Trump and his wife, Melania, paid their final respects to Francis inside the basilica. The coffin had been sealed the previous night.
Heads of state from across the world, including the presidents of Argentina, France, Gabon, Germany, the Philippines, and Poland, joined the ceremony. British and New Zealand prime ministers, as well as Spanish royalty, were also in attendance.
The arrival of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy drew spontaneous applause from the crowd. During his time in Rome, Zelenskiy met with Trump, with a White House official describing their talks as a “very productive discussion” amid Trump’s drive for a resolution to the war in Ukraine.
A Break from Tradition
Francis, the first non-European pontiff in nearly 1,300 years, sought to reshape the Church by championing the marginalized and pressing wealthy nations to act on issues like migration and climate change.
“Francis left everyone a wonderful testimony of humanity, of a holy life and of universal fatherhood,” stated a Latin-written summary of his papacy placed beside his body.
While many embraced his vision of a transparent, inclusive Church, traditionalists resisted, and his calls for peace and critiques of rampant capitalism were often ignored by world powers.
True to his ethos of simplicity, Francis revised the typically elaborate funeral rites and chose not to be buried in the customary three interlocking coffins of cypress, lead, and oak. Instead, he was laid to rest in a single wooden, zinc-lined coffin.
Breaking further with custom, he will become the first pope in over a century to be buried outside the Vatican.
His chosen resting place is Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major, located about 5.5 kilometers from St. Peter’s Square. His tomb is marked simply with “Franciscus,” and an iron-plated cross he once wore hangs above it.
For his final journey through Rome, a motorcade will allow the public to say their last goodbyes.
Italian authorities launched one of the largest security operations seen since Pope John Paul II’s funeral, closing the city’s airspace and deploying additional forces, including anti-aircraft systems and patrol boats.
Following Francis’ burial, attention will turn swiftly to the upcoming conclave to elect his successor.
The secretive voting process is unlikely to commence before May 6, with cardinals expected to hold preliminary meetings to assess the Church’s direction amid ongoing financial and ideological challenges.
