Thousands Gather to Honor Pope Francis at Funeral Ceremony

The remains of Pope Francis were presented in St. Peter's Basilica on April 24, 2025.

An immense crowd of mourners, along with numerous global leaders, assembled in Rome to commemorate the legacy of Pope Francis during a funeral ceremony held in St. Peter's Square within Vatican City.

Pope Francis passed away at the age of 88 from heart failure and a stroke. His body will soon be interred in a zinc and wooden coffin at a church more than two miles from the Vatican, marking the first instance since 1903 that a pope will not be buried within the Vatican's confines. Thousands have visited his coffin over the past days to show their respects before a restricted group of Catholic Church officials sealed it on Friday night.

The funeral mass is scheduled to start at 10 AM local time on Saturday, with a priest leading a procession, bearing a cross toward the central area of the large plaza. A New Testament copy will be placed on the coffin of Francis. Authorities speculate that up to 200,000 people will attend, and the Vatican has released a list of over 110 nation leaders expected to be present.

Among the attendees will be President Trump, marking his first international appearance during his second term, alongside former President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden. Others include U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and many others.

The event will witness the presence of various high-ranking Christian clergy members, such as patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops. The funeral service, primarily a traditional Catholic ceremony, will feature a sermon recounting aspects of Francis's life, following his explicit wish for simplicity.

Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re will lead the ceremony, predominantly conducted in Latin. However, certain prayers will be offered in multiple languages, including Polish, Chinese, Arabic, and Portuguese. Cardinal Re, as the Dean of the College of Cardinals, will soon oversee the conclave to select the new pope in early May.

Francis shared his views in his autobiography "El Sucesor," published last year, on how a pope should be laid to rest with respect but without grandeur, emphasizing that the Bishop of Rome is a teacher and not a worldly authority. He requested that his tomb bear the Latin name "Franciscus" and is set to be carved from marble originating from Liguria in Italy, a place from which his ancestors moved to Argentina.

Argentinian President Javier Milei will be present for the funeral, accompanied by leaders from various countries such as the Irish president and prime minister, the Polish and Brazilian presidents, Germany's outgoing chancellor, the King of Spain, and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

According to Russian media, President Vladimir Putin will not be attending the event, facing a potential arrest risk due to a warrant by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in Ukraine.

Following the mass, a selected group representing the "poor and needy" will be standing at the steps of Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica to greet the arriving coffin, symbolic of Pope Francis's enduring commitment to vulnerable groups like migrants and refugees during his papacy.

The Vatican has announced public access to the tomb starting Sunday, with numerous cardinals expected to visit as well. A mourning period, referred to as "Novemdiales" in Latin, will commence with daily masses over the next nine days.