Pope Francis Laid To Rest In Rome As Hundreds Of Thousands Mourn.
Pope Francis was laid to rest in Rome on Saturday, following a solemn funeral ceremony attended by world leaders and mourned by around 400,000 faithful who gathered to bid farewell to the beloved “pope among the people.”
St Peter’s Square and the surrounding streets of Rome were filled with mourners, who came to pay their final respects to the Argentine pontiff who led the Catholic Church’s 1.4 billion followers from 2013 until his death at the age of 88.
Following the Vatican funeral, Pope Francis’s simple wooden coffin — symbolising his life of humility — was slowly transported to Santa Maria Maggiore, his favourite church in Rome, where he was interred in a private ceremony. His marble tomb is marked by a single word: “Franciscus,” his Latin name.
The funeral was attended by over 50 heads of state, including United States President Donald Trump, who met with several world leaders beforehand, among them Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky. It marked their first face-to-face meeting since their Oval Office confrontation in February.
A Pope with an Open Heart’
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, delivering the homily, described Francis as “a pope among the people, with an open heart,” praising his conviction that the Church should be “a home with its doors always open.” His words were met with applause from the assembled crowd, gathered under bright blue skies.
During his 12-year papacy, Francis endeavoured to steer the Catholic Church towards greater compassion and inclusivity. His death prompted a global outpouring of grief, with mourners travelling from across the world to attend his funeral.
“Giving to the poor and being with the poor — that is what he taught us,” said Maria Mrula, a 28-year-old student from Germany who drove 16 hours to attend the ceremony. “The Church is alive,” she added. “It was great being here.”
Italian and Vatican authorities mounted a major security operation for the event, deploying fighter jets and positioning snipers on rooftops to ensure safety throughout the service.
A Legacy of Building Bridges
Pope Francis’s tenure was marked by his efforts to advocate for refugees, displaced persons, and the marginalised. His first papal trip to Lampedusa — a key arrival point for migrants crossing the Mediterranean — set the tone for his papacy. He famously celebrated Mass at the US-Mexico border, highlighting his commitment to building “bridges not walls,” a phrase repeated many times throughout his life.
Cardinal Re, in his homily, spoke of Francis’s ceaseless calls for peace, appealing for “reason and honest negotiation” to resolve global conflicts.
Despite sometimes clashing with world leaders over his outspoken views on migration, climate change, and social justice, Francis’s humility and charisma won him widespread admiration.
Former US President Joe Biden, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz were among other dignitaries present.
In contrast, Israel — angered by Francis’s recent criticism of its actions in Gaza — was represented solely by its Holy See ambassador, while China, which maintains no formal diplomatic relations with the Vatican, sent no representative.
A Pope for the Marginalised
Born Jorge Bergoglio in Buenos Aires in 1936, Francis was the first Latin American and Jesuit pope. He was widely recognised for his efforts to renew the faith of Catholics disillusioned by scandals and rigid traditions.
His progressive actions included allowing the baptism of transgender believers, blessing same-sex couples, and opening the Eucharist to divorced and remarried Catholics — steps that were celebrated by many but criticised by traditionalists.
Nonetheless, he maintained the Church’s longstanding opposition to abortion and remained firmly rooted in some traditional doctrines.
Francis’s final public act was his Easter Sunday blessing of the world, calling for protection of the vulnerable and marginalised — a fitting end to a papacy that began and ended with a message of compassion.
In his life and death, Pope Francis reminded the world that the Church could be a home for all. As Italian mourner Francesco Morello noted, “He could not bring them together in life, but he managed in death.”
