Prominent leaders from around the world have gathered today in Rome for Pope Francis’ funeral.
In a solemn and reverent ceremony at St. Peter’s Basilica, the Roman Catholic Church laid Francis to rest on Saturday, honoring the first South American pontiff whose leadership left a significant, if often controversial, mark on the Church over his twelve-year tenure.
Gregorian chants and Latin hymns filled the square, offering a timeless reminder of the Church’s enduring traditions even amid today’s global instability. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attended the funeral, meeting beforehand for what the White House described as “a very productive discussion” — their first face-to-face meeting since a tense February exchange.
Dignitaries, heads of state, and religious leaders joined Catholic clergy dressed in vivid red robes around the cypress coffin that bore Francis’s body. An open Gospel rested atop the casket, its pages rustling softly in the breeze — a symbol of the faith that has long anchored the Church through centuries of change.
The Vatican estimated more than 250,000 mourners took part in the funeral rites, stretching from St. Peter’s Square down to the Tiber River. In the days leading up to the funeral, throngs of faithful had come to pay their respects to the late pontiff, whose simple red vestments and worn black shoes reflected the modest image he worked to project.
Following the service, the coffin was transported through the streets of Rome in the popemobile as crowds lined the route, cheering and raising their hands in farewell. Pope Francis was laid to rest privately at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, where his tomb bears a simple, powerful inscription: “Franciscus.”
