Mourners gathered in St Peter’s Square on Saturday, April 26, as Pope Francis was laid to rest in a historic funeral ceremony attended by fifty heads of state, 170 foreign delegations, and over 400,000 faithful.
Millions more watched the globally broadcast service honouring the 88-year-old pontiff, widely known as the “Pope of the Poor.”
The funeral Mass began at 10 am local time at St Peter’s Basilica and lasted more than two hours.
In accordance with his wishes, Pope Francis—born Jorge Mario Bergoglio—was buried in a plain wooden coffin and wore his well-worn pastoral shoes, symbolising humility and service.
“A funeral service of a shepherd and a disciple of the Lord, not one of the mighty of the earth,” he had written in his will.
In a deeply symbolic moment, the Gospel was read in Greek, and the Orthodox hymn “Christos Anesti” (“Christ is Risen”) echoed through the basilica, marking the rare coincidence of Orthodox and Catholic Easter.
“This hymn… reflects his heart—a heart that beat for all Christians, regardless of tradition,” said Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State.
The chant, proclaiming Christ’s triumph over death, resonated as a fitting tribute to a pontiff known for championing unity between Christian denominations.
Following the service, the coffin was taken in procession to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, where Francis had requested to be buried near the Byzantine icon of the Virgin Mary.
Along the six-kilometre route through Rome’s historic centre, mourners lined the streets in prayer, some crying, others applauding in tribute.
Awaiting him at the basilica were forty individuals Francis had personally supported during his life—migrants, prisoners, transgender people, and the homeless—each laying a white rose on his grave.
Greece was represented by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, his wife Mareva Grabowski-Mitsotakis, and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who placed a bouquet of white roses on the pope’s casket before departing for Constantinople.
Among the other dignitaries present were US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron, German leaders Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Olaf Scholz, and Argentine President Javier Milei.
Francis’ grandson, Mauro Bergoglio—a nurse from Argentina—also attended the funeral after receiving airfare assistance from a local travel agency, fulfilling his wish to say goodbye.
