Pope Francis, beloved as the “pope among the people,” was laid to rest on Saturday in Rome following a solemn Vatican funeral attended by hundreds of thousands of mourners and world leaders, including US President Donald Trump.
An estimated 400,000 people flooded St. Peter’s Square and surrounding streets to bid farewell to the Argentine pontiff, who led the Catholic Church’s 1.4 billion faithful since 2013 and became a tireless champion for the poor and marginalized.
After a moving funeral mass held before a hushed crowd, Francis’s simple wooden coffin — a symbol of his lifelong humility — was slowly transported to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, his favorite church in Rome, for a private interment.
Tears flowed freely as the coffin arrived. Maria Vicente, a 52-year-old Guatemalan pilgrim clutching a rosary, wept openly. “It made me very sad. It’s touching, that he left us like that,” she said.
Fourteen pallbearers, wearing white gloves, carried the coffin into the grand basilica as a children’s choir filled the air with solemn hymns and baskets of fresh flowers were placed at the altar. His marble tomb bears a simple inscription: “Franciscus,” the Latin version of his name.
More than 50 heads of state attended the funeral. Before the service, President Trump was seen meeting world leaders, including Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky — their first encounter since a tense Oval Office meeting earlier this year.
Delivering the homily, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re praised Francis as “a pope with an open heart,” committed to a vision of the Church as “a home with its doors always open.” His words drew applause from the massive crowd under the bright Roman sky.
Pope Francis spent his 12-year papacy pushing the Church towards greater inclusivity, fighting for the poor, speaking boldly on issues like migration, climate change, and social justice. His death sparked a global wave of mourning.
The funeral marks the beginning of nine days of official Vatican mourning. Afterwards, cardinals under the age of 80 will convene in a conclave to elect the next pope.
While Francis was loved by many for his compassion and reforms, he also faced resistance from traditionalists and criticism from world leaders unsettled by his outspoken advocacy for the vulnerable and for the planet.