Pope Francis laid to rest in Rome after historic funeral at St Peter’s Square attended by the powerful and the powerless

Under sunny skies, tens of thousands packed the square to attend the ceremony, officiated by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, with many queuing up since the early hours. Security was unprecedented, with Italian authorities deploying more than 2,500 police officers, 1,500 soldiers, closing the airspace, and stationing a torpedo ship off the coast.

Applause and cheers rang out as Francis’s wooden coffin, inlaid with a large cross, was carried by 14 white-gloved pallbearers through the main doors of St Peter’s Basilica.

The funeral drew leaders from more than 150 countries. Among the mourners were United States President Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, Indian President Droupadi Murmu, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, European Union leaders, the United Kingdom’s Prince William, and members of the Spanish royal family. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who had initially indicated he could not attend, was also present and held a meeting with Trump before the ceremony.

President Donald Trump, centre, and French President Emmanuel Macron, applaud with other dignitaries at the end of the funeral of Pope Francis, in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Former US President Joe Biden, Argentina’s President Javier Milei, Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and Lebanon’s General Joseph Aoun also attended the ceremony.

The 90-minute mass was celebrated by 220 cardinals, 750 bishops, and over 4,000 priests, while more than 2,000 journalists from around the world covered the historic event.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re delivered a moving funeral homily, describing Francis as a relentless advocate for peace and human dignity.

“Faced with the raging wars of recent years, with their inhuman horrors and countless deaths and destruction, Pope Francis incessantly raised his voice imploring peace and calling for reason and honest negotiation to find possible solutions,” he said according to AP.

He praised Francis’s landmark papal letter on climate change and highlighted his visits to places like Lampedusa and Lesbos.

Dean of the College of Cardinals Giovanni Battista Re blesses the coffin of Pope Francis during his funeral in St. Peter’s Square, at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

“His gestures and exhortations in favour of refugees and displaced people are countless,” Battista Re said.
He eulogised Francis as “a pope among the people, with an open heart towards everyone,” known for his informal style and his ability to reach “the least among us.”

“The outpouring of affection we have witnessed tells us how much the profound pontificate of Pope Francis touched minds and hearts,” Battista Re said in his eulogy. He recalled the poignant image of Francis giving his final blessing to the world on Easter Sunday, from the very piazza where his funeral was held. Battista Re highlighted Francis’s charisma of “welcome and listening”, and his belief that “the Church is a home for all”.

Faithful gather during the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Over three days, more than 250,000 people stood for hours in line to pay their final respects as Francis’s body lay in state inside St Peter’s Basilica.

Following the service, Francis’s coffin made a 4km journey through Rome’s centre — past iconic landmarks like Piazza Venezia, the Roman Forum, and the Colosseum, with around 150,000 lining the motorcade route. His burial at St Mary Major Basilica was a deeply personal decision made in his will, reflecting the humility and independence that defined his papacy.

After the funeral, a group of 40 people — including migrants, homeless individuals, prisoners, and transgender people — greeted the late pope’s coffin with white roses on the steps of St Mary Major Basilica.

The coffin containing the body of late Pope Francis is brought inside St. Peter’s Basilica at the end of his solemn funeral in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Saturday, April 26, 2025. (Vatican Media via AP)

The burial rites were conducted privately by cardinals and several of Francis’s relatives. His coffin was blessed by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who is currently overseeing the Church during the sede vacante — the period between two papacies.

True to Francis’s humble wishes, he was not interred beneath St Peter’s Basilica with full papal pomp, but entombed in a modest niche at Santa Maria Maggiore that previously stored candlestick holders. His final resting place will carry no elaborate decorations — only the simple inscription “Franciscus”.

The public will be able to visit the tomb starting Sunday.

As the nine-day mourning period officially begins on Saturday, attention is already turning to the question of Francis’s successor. The conclave to elect the next pope is not expected to begin before 5 May. There is no clear frontrunner yet, though early favourites include Luis Antonio Tagle, a reform-minded cardinal from the Philippines, and Pietro Parolin, a powerful Italian cardinal.

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