Vatican City — Under clear blue skies, the world gathered today to bid an emotional farewell to Pope Francis, whose inclusive leadership and deep compassion reshaped the Catholic Church over his 12-year papacy. An estimated 250,000 mourners, ranging from world leaders to refugees, filled St. Peter’s Square, a testament to the Pope’s enduring commitment to humility, social justice, and the marginalized.
The funeral Mass, led by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, commenced at 10:00 a.m. local time, marking the beginning of the traditional novemdiales, a nine-day mourning period. The liturgy was broadcast worldwide and streamed across multiple platforms, allowing millions around the globe to participate virtually in this historic moment.
In a departure from centuries of tradition, Pope Francis had requested a simplified funeral. His body rested in a plain wooden coffin lined with zinc, adorned only with his miter, crozier, and a rosary wrapped around his fingers. Accompanying him were twelve coins — one for each year of his papacy — and the Rogito, a formal document summarizing his reign.
The ceremony emphasized inclusivity, with an honor guard of migrants, homeless individuals, and transgender people forming a path to the altar, a powerful reflection of Francis’s lifelong mission to uplift society’s most vulnerable.
The funeral drew an array of global dignitaries, including U.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Prince William, and former U.S. President Joe Biden. Their attendance underscored Pope Francis’s far-reaching influence and his role as a bridge-builder across political, cultural, and religious divides.
Following the Mass, the Pope’s coffin was carried in a solemn procession to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, where he was interred in a modest tomb, marked simply with the Latin name “Franciscus,” honoring both his devotion to the Virgin Mary and his wish for humility even in death.
Security throughout the day was tight, with more than 2,500 police officers and 1,500 soldiers deployed across Rome, aerial surveillance, and a temporary no-fly zone enforced to ensure safety.
As the bells of St. Peter’s Basilica tolled and the crowds sang hymns of farewell, the world remembered Pope Francis not only as the first Latin American and Jesuit pope but as the “people’s pope” — a shepherd who walked with the poor, challenged the powerful, and left a legacy of compassion and reform that will echo for generations to come.