Mighty and meek attend Pope Francis' funeral in St. Peter's Square, a ceremony he helped reimagine
Share this @internewscast.com

VATICAN CITY — World leaders and Catholic faithful bade farewell to Pope Francis in a funeral Saturday reflecting his priorities as pope and wishes as pastor. Though presidents and princes attended the Mass in St. Peter’s Square, prisoners and migrants will welcome him into the basilica across town where he will be laid to rest.

More than 250,000 people flocked to the funeral, held on a brilliant spring day that was supposed to have been a special Holy Year celebration for adolescents. Perhaps because so many young people were on hand, the somber ceremony still had a festive mood, with mourners taking selfies amid the hymns as Francis’ simple coffin was brought out of St. Peter’s Basilica at the start of the Mass.

Francis had choreographed the funeral himself when he revised and simplified the Vatican’s rites and rituals last year. His aim was to emphasize the pope’s role as a mere pastor and not “a powerful man of this world.”

MORE: Coverage of the funeral of Pope Francis

It was a reflection of Francis’ 12-year project to radically reform the papacy, to stress priests as servants and to construct “a poor church for the poor.” He articulated the mission just days after his 2013 election and it explained the name he chose as pope, honoring St. Francis of Assisi “who had the heart of the poor of the world,” according to the official decree of the pope’s life that was placed in his simple wooden coffin before it was sealed Friday night.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re remembered him as a “pope among the people, with an open heart towards everyone.”

He recalled the last image many people have of Francis was of him delivering what would become his final blessing on Easter Sunday, and saluting from the popemobile in the same piazza where his funeral was being celebrated.

Despite Francis’ focus on the powerless, the powerful were at his funeral. U.S. President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, and European Union leaders joined Prince William and European royals leading more than 160 official delegations. Argentine President Javier Milei had the pride of place given Francis’ nationality, even if the two didn’t particularly get along and the pope alienated many Argentines by never returning home.

The white facade of St. Peter’s glowed pink as the sun rose Saturday and hordes of mourners rushed into the square. Giant television screens were set up along the surrounding streets for those who couldn’t get close. The Mass and funeral procession – with Francis’ coffin carried on the open-topped popemobile he used during his 2015 trip to the Philippines – were also being broadcast live around the world.

Police helicopters whirled overhead, part of the massive security operation Italian authorities mounted, including more than 2,500 police and 1,500 soldiers and a torpedo ship off the coast, Italian media reported.

Many mourners had planned to be in Rome anyway this weekend for the now-postponed Holy Year canonization of the first millennial saint, Carlo Acutis, and groups of scouts and youth church groups nearly outnumbered the gaggles of nuns and seminarians.

“He was a very charismatic pope, very human, very kind, above all very human,” said Miguel Vaca, a pilgrim from Peru who said he had camped out near the piazza. “It is a very great emotion to say goodbye to him.”

Dean of the College of Cardinals Giovanni Battista Re blesses the coffin during the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025.

AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino

The poor and marginalized welcome him

Francis, the first Latin American and first Jesuit pope, died Easter Monday at age 88 after suffering a stroke while recovering at home from pneumonia.

Following his funeral, preparations can begin in earnest to launch the centuries-old process of electing a new pope, a conclave that will likely begin in the first week of May. In the interim, the Vatican is being run by a handful of cardinals, key among them Re, the 91-year-old dean of the College of Cardinals who presided at the funeral and is organizing the secret voting in the Sistine Chapel.

Francis is breaking with recent tradition and will be laid to rest in St. Mary Major Basilica, near Rome’s main train station, where a simple tomb awaits him with just his name: Franciscus. As many as 300,000 people are expected to line the 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) motorcade route that will bring Francis’ coffin from the Vatican through the center of Rome to the basilica after the funeral.

Forty special guests, organized by the Vatican’s Caritas charity and the Sant’Egidio community, will greet his coffin at the basilica, honoring the marginalized groups Francis prioritized as pope: homeless people and migrants, prisoners and transgender people.

“The poor have a privileged place in the heart of God,” the Vatican quoted Francis as saying in explaining the choice.

A special relationship with the basilica

Even before he became pope, Francis had a particular affection for St. Mary Major, home to a Byzantine-style icon of the Madonna, the Salus Populi Romani, to which Francis was particularly devoted. He would pray before it before and after each of his foreign trips as pope.

The choice of the basilica is also symbolically significant given its ties to Francis’ Jesuit religious order. St. Ignatius Loyola, who founded the Jesuits, celebrated his first Mass in the basilica on Christmas Day in 1538.

Crowds waited hours to bid farewell to Francis

Over three days this week, more than 250,000 people stood for hours in line to pay their final respects while Francis’ body lay in state in St. Peter’s Basilica. The Vatican kept the basilica open through the night to accommodate them, but it wasn’t enough. When the doors closed to the general public at 7 p.m. on Friday, mourners were turned away in droves.

By dawn Saturday, they were back and ready to say a final farewell, some recalling the words he uttered the very first night of his election and throughout his papacy.

“We are here to honor him because he always said ‘don’t forget to pray for me,'” said Sister Christiana Neenwata from Biafrana, Nigeria. “So we are also here to give to him this love that he gave to us.”

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Copyright © 2025 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
The Receipts Have Dropped: Tulsi Gabbard Posts Russiagate Evidence Obama Had Been Fearing

Obama’s Presidential Center Post Sparks Wave of Entertaining Reactions

Have you caught wind of the latest developments regarding Barack Obama’s presidential…
Doug Martin, Bay Area-born NFL star, former Boise State and Oakland Raiders running back, dies at 36, family says

Bay Area NFL Alum and Former Raiders Running Back Doug Martin Passes Away at 36

In a somber announcement, the family of Doug Martin, the former standout…
Chicago Bears game today: Teams seeks fourth straight win, look to avoid letdown against NFC-worst Saints Sunday at Soldier Field

Chicago Bears Aim for Fourth Consecutive Win Against Struggling Saints at Soldier Field

CHICAGO — This Sunday, the Chicago Bears aim to continue their winning…
FBI investigates hunting stand with sight line to Trump's Air Force One exit area at Palm Beach airport

FBI Probes Suspicious Hunting Stand Overlooking Trump’s Air Force One Path at Palm Beach Airport

EXCLUSIVE: In a recent security sweep, the U.S. Secret Service identified a…
Teen killed by stray bullet while playing video games inside St. Louis home: 'Horrible nightmare'

Tragic Incident: Teen Fatally Struck by Stray Bullet While Gaming at Home in St. Louis

In a tragic incident, a 14-year-old high school freshman from Missouri lost…
Israel strikes Gaza after it says Hamas attacked across ceasefire line

Israel Launches Retaliatory Strikes on Gaza Following Alleged Hamas Ceasefire Breach

Israel launched strikes on targets in the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday…
Sam Rivers, bass player for Limp Bizkit, has died at 48, the band says

Limp Bizkit Confirms Passing of Bassist Sam Rivers at Age 48

The world of metal music is mourning the loss of Sam Rivers,…
Authorities investigate the death of a rail conductor who was struck by a train in Montana

Montana Rail Tragedy: Authorities Probe Fatal Incident Involving Conductor Struck by Train

COLUMBUS, Montana — Authorities are investigating a tragic incident involving a rail…
Former Catcher Jesús Montero dies after motorcycle crash

Tragic Motorcycle Accident Claims Life of Former MLB Catcher Jesús Montero

According to The Seattle Times, Jesús Montero was tragically struck by a…
3 killed in US strike on Colombian ELN vessel smuggling narcotics, Hegseth says

U.S. Strike on Colombian ELN Vessel Results in 3 Fatalities Amid Narcotics Smuggling Crackdown, Reports Hegseth

In a significant operation targeting drug trafficking, three suspected narco-terrorists were killed…
Israel says Hamas violated ceasefire with 'multiple attacks' leading to IDF response

Israel Accuses Hamas of Breaching Ceasefire with ‘Multiple Attacks,’ Prompting IDF Retaliation

The Israeli military launched airstrikes against Hamas in Gaza, alleging that the…
Shooting at Oklahoma State University residence hall leaves multiple victims

Multiple Injuries Reported in Oklahoma State University Dorm Shooting Incident

A shooting incident at an Oklahoma State University (OSU) dormitory resulted in…