VATICAN CITY — Rome and the world came together Saturday to bid an emotional farewell to Pope Francis, who died Monday at 88 after suffering a stroke. Tens of thousands of mourners, world leaders, and clergy filled St. Peter’s Square for a solemn ceremony celebrating the life and legacy of the Argentine pontiff, who championed the marginalized, fought for migrants’ rights, and urged protection of the planet.
The funeral Mass, presided over by Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, reflected Francis’ profound connection to contemporary challenges. Re, speaking in spiritual but unmistakably clear language, urged the Church not to turn back from the path Francis had forged, calling him “rich in human warmth and deeply sensitive to today’s challenges.”
U.S. President Donald Trump, who frequently clashed with Francis on issues such as climate change, immigration, and wealth inequality, was seated among foreign dignitaries to one side of the coffin. Opposite them sat the cardinals who, next month, will gather in conclave to choose Francis’ successor — a decision likely to shape the future direction of the Catholic Church for decades.
The ceremony, infused with symbolism and grandeur, began as Francis’ simple wooden coffin, inlaid with a cross, was carried out into the sun-drenched square by 14 white-gloved pallbearers. Applause rippled through the crowd, estimated by the Vatican at more than 250,000, as the procession began. Cheers erupted again at the close of the service, when ushers lifted the casket and tilted it slightly so more mourners could offer their goodbyes.
A stunning aerial view revealed a sea of colors — the black attire of world leaders, the cardinal red of approximately 250 cardinals, the purple robes of 400 bishops, and the white cassocks worn by 4,000 priests. Choirs filled the air with Latin hymns and prayers were offered in Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese, and Arabic, underscoring the global breadth of the 1.4-billion-member Church.
After the Mass, the coffin was placed on an open-topped popemobile for one final journey through Rome. The solemn procession left through the Vatican’s Perugino Gate, not far from the modest Santa Marta guesthouse where Francis had famously chosen to reside, shunning the ornate Apostolic Palace. Along the 5.5-kilometer route to St. Mary Major Basilica, where Francis wished to be laid to rest, crowds estimated at 150,000 gathered, waving flags, tossing flowers, and chanting “Viva il Papa!” and “Ciao, Francesco.”
Francis’ choice to be buried at St. Mary Major, rather than in the Vatican, marked the first time in more than a century that a pope had chosen to rest outside St. Peter’s. The private burial ceremony aligned with his lifelong emphasis on humility and simplicity. Departing from tradition, Francis was interred in a single zinc-lined wooden coffin, foregoing the customary triple casket. His tomb bears only the Latin inscription “Franciscus,” and above it hangs a replica of the iron-plated cross he once wore.
During the funeral, President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy briefly met inside St. Peter’s Basilica — their first in-person encounter since a tense Oval Office meeting in February. In a photograph released by Zelenskyy’s office, the two leaders were pictured sitting closely, speaking intently. A White House official described the conversation as “very productive,” while Zelenskyy called it a “good meeting.”
The funeral drew an extraordinary assembly of dignitaries, including the presidents of Argentina, France, Gabon, Germany, the Philippines, and Poland, as well as prime ministers from Britain and New Zealand. Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia were among the many royals present.
Over the three days preceding the funeral, more than 250,000 mourners had filed past Pope Francis’ open coffin as it lay before the altar of the grand basilica, paying their final respects to the first non-European pontiff in nearly 1,300 years. Francis spent his 12-year papacy reshaping the Catholic Church by advocating for the poor, emphasizing compassion over dogma, and calling on wealthy nations to act on climate change.
A formal summary of his life, written in Latin, was placed beside his body, praising his “wonderful testimony of humanity, of a holy life and of universal fatherhood.”
Francis’ push for transparency and a modernized Church met fierce resistance from traditionalists, and many of his calls for peace, economic justice, and environmental stewardship went unheeded. Yet his final wishes — for a funeral stripped of excess and a humble burial — remained an enduring testament to the ideals he spent his life promoting.
As the Church enters a period of mourning and transition, attention now turns to the coming conclave, expected to begin no earlier than May 6. In the weeks ahead, cardinals will meet to assess the state of a Church still grappling with internal divisions, financial challenges, and the enormous task of choosing a leader who can carry forward, or redirect, the powerful legacy of Pope Francis.
