Tens of thousands of mourners, including over 50 world leaders, filled St Peter’s Square on Saturday to pay their final respects to Pope Francis, the beloved champion of the poor and the Catholic Church’s first Latin American pontiff. The Argentine pope, who passed away on Monday at the age of 88, was celebrated for steering the Church toward a more inclusive future during his 12-year papacy.
By dawn, police estimated that 150,000 people had already gathered, many camping overnight. The crowd applauded warmly as Francis’ coffin was brought out of St Peter’s Basilica. Among the high-profile guests were US President Donald Trump, President Javier Milei of Argentina, Britain’s Prince William, and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The funeral, led with solemn grandeur, marks the start of nine days of official Vatican mourning before the cardinals gather for the conclave to elect a new pope. Despite a strong security presence with fighter jets on standby and snipers on rooftops the mood among the mourners was peaceful and deeply reflective.
Francis’ compassion and global advocacy for the vulnerable won him admirers worldwide, even as some of his reforms sparked criticism from traditionalists and political leaders. His funeral also became a diplomatic gathering, with leaders from across the globe, though tensions lingered; Israel, upset over Francis’ criticism of its actions in Gaza, sent only its Vatican ambassador, while China was absent entirely.
The pope, who chose his name in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi, famously rejected the opulence of the papal palace, opting instead to live modestly in a Vatican guesthouse. True to his spirit, he requested a simple wooden coffin and a humble marble tomb at Rome’s Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica making him the first pope in more than a century to be buried outside the Vatican.
In a moving final gesture, a group of “poor and needy” welcomed his coffin at the basilica. Pope Francis’ legacy of compassion, inclusivity, and unwavering commitment to the marginalized remains etched in the hearts of the faithful worldwide.
