BY PC BUREAU
On Saturday, April 26, 2025, the world gathered in Rome to bid farewell to Pope Francis, the first Latin American pontiff, who passed away on Easter Monday, April 21, at the age of 88. His funeral, held in St. Peter’s Square, was a poignant blend of solemn Catholic tradition and the simplicity that defined his 12-year papacy. Drawing over 200,000 mourners, including world leaders, clergy, and faithful from across the globe, the ceremony reflected Francis’s legacy as a “pope of the people” who championed humility, mercy, and inclusivity.
A Simplified yet Global Ceremony
Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, died of a stroke and irreversible heart failure following a prolonged battle with health issues, including double pneumonia and kidney failure. His death certificate noted a rapid decline after a public appearance on Easter Sunday, where he delivered the Urbi et Orbi blessing in St. Peter’s Square. True to his character, Francis had revised the papal funeral rites in April 2024 to emphasize simplicity, stripping away ornate traditions to reflect his belief that the pope is “a pastor and disciple of Christ, not a powerful man of this world.”
The funeral Mass, presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, began at 10:00 AM local time (4:00 AM ET) in St. Peter’s Square. The open-air setting accommodated a vast crowd, with Vatican officials estimating 200,000 attendees, rivaling the historic turnout for Pope John Paul II’s funeral in 2005. The liturgy, largely in Latin, included prayers in Portuguese, Polish, Chinese, and Arabic, underscoring the global reach of Francis’s papacy. A book of the Gospels was placed on his simple wooden coffin, lined with zinc, a stark departure from the traditional triple coffins of cypress, lead, and oak used for past popes.
🌹 The Greek hymn “Christos Anesti” rang out at Pope Francis’ funeral in St. Peter’s Basilica, a powerful symbol of resurrection and unity. Honoring a pope who lived for the marginalized. 🙏 #PopeFrancis #ChristosAnesti #Vatican #Farewell pic.twitter.com/PbtHPQNX9I
— Greek City Times (@greekcitytimes) April 26, 2025
also read: Pahalgam Terror Crackdown: 5 AK-47s, Ammo Cache Seized in Hideout Bust
Francis’s coffin, adorned with a cross and bearing him dressed in a red chasuble, white mitre, and black shoes, was carried through St. Peter’s Square in a procession led by a priest bearing a cross. The Sistine Chapel Choir’s haunting melodies accompanied the rite, which included the In Paradisum hymn, praying for angels to guide Francis to eternal rest. The Swiss Guards, protectors of the pope for centuries, knelt during the consecration of the host, a powerful gesture of reverence.
A Procession Through Rome
Following the two-hour Mass, Francis’s coffin embarked on a four-kilometer procession to the Basilica of St. Mary Major, his chosen burial site, marking the first papal burial outside the Vatican since Pope Leo XIII in 1903. The route, passing the Roman Forum and Colosseum, allowed Romans to bid farewell to their bishop along streets he frequently traveled to pray before the icon of the Virgin Salus Populi Romani. Crowds lined the path, with young nuns, schoolchildren, and mourners clutching rosaries, some releasing balloons bearing Francis’s image as a final tribute.
At St. Mary Major, the coffin was welcomed by “the last ones”—a group of poor and marginalized people, reflecting Francis’s lifelong devotion to society’s most vulnerable. The burial, conducted privately after the public procession, took place in a simple underground niche between the Pauline and Sforza Chapels, inscribed only with “Franciscus.” The ceremony concluded with the Regina Cæli prayer and the reading of an official act by the notary of the Liberian Chapter, signed by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Camerlengo.
ALSO READ; Love in Orbit, Vows in Venice: Bezos and Sanchez Aim for the Most Lavish Wedding Yet
A Global Gathering of Dignitaries
The funeral attracted approximately 130 foreign delegations, including 55 heads of state, 14 heads of government, and 12 reigning monarchs. Notable attendees included U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and Argentina’s President Javier Milei, who praised Francis’s “goodness and wisdom” despite past political tensions. Prince William represented King Charles, head of the Anglican Church, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa also attended. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin was notably absent, though a Chinese delegation was present.
Former U.S. President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden also joined the mourners, a rare instance of bipartisan U.S. representation at a papal funeral. The presence of such diverse leaders underscored Francis’s diplomatic influence, though his critiques of policies like immigration and climate change had sparked friction with some, including Trump.
📍St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City
The crowd is gathering in the hours before Pope Francis’ funeral service begins.
On the cover of the order of service booklet being handed out is “The Deposition,” a 1746 oil painting by Sebastian Conca. pic.twitter.com/Fxq4HWZQTV
— aaron navarro (@aaronlarnavarro) April 26, 2025
A Legacy of Simplicity and Compassion
From Wednesday to Friday, over 250,000 people filed past Francis’s open coffin in St. Peter’s Basilica, with queues stretching to Via della Conciliazione. The Vatican extended viewing hours overnight to accommodate the turnout, a testament to Francis’s popularity. Mourners like Simonetta Marini, a 67-year-old Roman retiree, praised him as “a great man” who “stood for the people.”
Francis’s papacy was marked by gestures of humility—he lived in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta rather than the Apostolic Palace, wore simple shoes, and made his first trip as pope to Lampedusa to meet migrants. His funeral embodied this ethos, shunning pomp for a grounded expression of faith. As Cardinal Re noted in his sermon, Francis’s “missionary vision, human warmth, and witness to mercy” left an indelible mark on the Church.
The funeral marked the start of the novemdiales, a nine-day mourning period during which daily Masses will be offered for Francis’s soul. Attention now turns to the conclave, expected to convene between May 6 and 12, where 135 cardinal electors under 80 will select Francis’s successor in the Sistine Chapel. The process, steeped in secrecy, will see ballots burned to signal progress—black smoke for inconclusive votes, white for a new pope. Francis appointed most of these electors, suggesting his pastoral priorities may shape the next papacy.
As the bells of St. Peter’s tolled and the crowds dispersed, Pope Francis’s funeral closed a chapter for the Catholic Church. His final journey through Rome, from the Vatican to St. Mary Major, was a fitting coda for a pontiff who sought to bring the Church closer to the margins. In death, as in life, Francis remained a shepherd of simplicity, leaving a legacy that will resonate as the Church navigates its future.
