Tens of thousands of mourners have gathered at St Peter’s Square on Saturday for the funeral of Pope Francis.
Some people waited overnight to be first in the queue for the ceremony, which was attended by world leaders including US President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, who may meet on the sidelines, a senior official told AFP.
The Argentine pontiff, who died on Monday aged 88, sought to steer the centuries-old Church in a more inclusive direction during his 12-year papacy. Around 250,000 people paid their respects before his coffin during its three days of lying in state at St Peter’s Basilica, with huge crowds gathering from dawn on Friday to attend his final send-off.
“He was not just the pope, he was what the definition of being human is,” said Andrea Ugalde, 39, who flew from Los Angeles to attend Saturday’s Mass.
The funeral Mass was scheduled to begin at 10:00 am (0800 GMT) and was expected to draw some 200,000 people.
Italian and Vatican authorities mounted a major security operation, with more than 50 heads of state on the guest list. A no-fly zone was enforced, fighter jets were put on standby, and snipers were positioned on roofs surrounding the tiny city-state.
“We spent the whole night here in the car with the children,” said Gabriela Lazo, 41, from Peru. “We are very sorry for what happened to him because we hold a South American pope in our hearts.”
The funeral marks the beginning of nine days of official Vatican mourning for Francis, who assumed leadership of the Catholic Church following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI in 2013. After the mourning period, cardinals will gather for a conclave to elect a new pope to lead the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
During his papacy, many of Francis’s reforms angered traditionalists, while his criticism of injustices, from the treatment of migrants to the damage wrought by global warming, riled several world leaders. Yet, the former archbishop of Buenos Aires’s compassion and charisma earned him global affection and respect.
Trump’s administration had clashed with Francis over the mass deportation of migrants, but the president arrived late on Friday with his wife, Melania, to pay tribute to “a good man” who “loved the world.”
Making his first foreign trip of his second term, Trump was among dozens of leaders from countries keen to hold discussions with him, including on issues such as the ongoing trade war.
Zelensky has expressed hope for a meeting, which would be their first since their White House showdown in February, and a senior official confirmed that “the two presidents could meet.”
Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, was also in attendance, alongside UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Other leaders expected included Argentine President Javier Milei, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
More than a dozen royals, including Britain’s Prince William, were present. However, Israel, angered by Francis’s criticism of its conduct in Gaza, sent only its Holy See ambassador, while China, which does not have formal relations with the Vatican, sent no representative.
Francis died of a stroke and heart failure less than a month after leaving hospital, where he had battled pneumonia for five weeks.
He was known for his close contact with the faithful, taking selfies, kissing babies, and consistently visiting the Church’s peripheries rather than its centres. His final public act, a blessing of the world on Easter Sunday, ended his papacy as it had begun, with an appeal to protect the “vulnerable, the marginalised, and migrants.”
Francis had chosen his papal name in honour of Saint Francis of Assisi, saying he wanted “a poor Church for the poor.” He rejected fine robes and the papal palace, opting instead to live at a Vatican guesthouse. In a break from tradition, he requested burial in his favourite Roman church, Santa Maria Maggiore, becoming the first pope in over a century to be buried outside the Vatican walls.
Saturday’s funeral featured some 224 cardinals and 750 bishops and priests, alongside dignitaries from around the world. Catholics globally organised events to watch the funeral live, including in Buenos Aires.
“The pope showed us that there was another way to live the faith,” said Lara Amado, 25.
True to his humble nature, Francis requested to be placed inside a single wooden coffin and laid in a simple marble tomb.
Following the funeral, the coffin was set to be taken to the Santa Maria Maggiore basilica via the Fori Imperiali, the historic Roman avenue lined with ancient temples, and the Colosseum. A group of “poor and needy” were scheduled to greet the hearse upon its arrival, the Vatican confirmed.
Francis is credited by admirers with transforming perceptions of the Catholic Church and helping revive faith after decades of clerical sex abuse scandals.
He was considered radical by some for allowing divorced believers to receive Communion, approving the baptism of transgender believers and blessings for same-sex couples, and refusing to judge gay Catholics. However, he maintained the Church’s traditional opposition to abortion.
The first trip of Francis’s papacy in 2013 was to Lampedusa, an Italian island that often receives migrants crossing the Mediterranean. Later, he visited the Greek island of Lesbos, bringing 12 refugees back to Rome with him.
