Tens of thousands of mourners and world leaders gathered at St Peter’s Square on Saturday for the funeral of Pope Francis, the first Latin American pope and a strong voice for the poor.
United States President Donald Trump, former President Joe Biden, France’s Emmanuel Macron, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and more than 50 other world leaders were among those who attended the funeral. Police said about 150,000 people were already present before the ceremony started at 10:00 am.
The crowd clapped and cheered when Pope Francis’ coffin was brought out of St Peter’s Basilica into the square. Many leaders, including Argentina’s President Javier Milei and Britain’s Prince William, had earlier gone inside the Basilica to pay their respects.
A Ukrainian spokesperson confirmed that President Volodymyr Zelensky also met President Trump briefly on the sidelines.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio and other members of Tinubu’s official delegation, including the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, Archbishop Lucius Ugorji; Archbishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah; and Archbishop of Abuja Diocese, Ignatius Kaigama, are representing Nigeria at the Vatican City.
Speaking about Pope Francis, a mourner, Andrea Ugalde, who flew from Los Angeles, said, “He was not just the pope, he was what the definition of being human is.”
Gabriela Lazo, a Peruvian mourner, who spent the night in her car with her family, added, “We are very sorry for what happened to him because we hold a South American pope in our hearts.”
Italian and Vatican authorities placed snipers on rooftops and had fighter jets on standby to ensure security during the event.
Pope Francis, who died on Monday at the age of 88, had led the Catholic Church for 12 years. His time as pope was marked by efforts to make the Church more inclusive. He spoke out against injustices like the mistreatment of migrants and the dangers of climate change, which sometimes made traditionalists and some world leaders unhappy.
Despite political differences, President Trump, who arrived with First Lady Melania Trump, called Francis “a good man who loved the world.”
Israel sent only its Vatican ambassador due to anger over Francis’ criticism of its actions in Gaza, while China did not send any representative.
Francis had a simple lifestyle, choosing not to live in the grand papal palace. Instead, he stayed in a Vatican guesthouse and wore simple robes. He had asked to be buried in his favourite church in Rome, Santa Maria Maggiore, becoming the first pope in over 100 years to be buried outside the Vatican walls.
After the funeral, the coffin was scheduled to be moved to the Santa Maria Maggiore basilica. Poor and needy people were to welcome the hearse when it arrived, according to the Vatican.
Pope Francis’ final public act was giving an Easter blessing to the world, asking for care for “the vulnerable, the marginalised and migrants.”
Catholics around the world held events to watch the funeral live, including in Buenos Aires. Lara Amado, a young mourner, said, “The pope showed us that there was another way to live the faith.”
During his time as pope, Francis was praised for supporting the rights of migrants, welcoming same-sex couples, and refusing to judge gay Catholics. He also kept firm on the Church’s teachings against abortion.
Francis died after suffering a stroke and heart failure, just weeks after recovering from pneumonia. His funeral marks the beginning of nine days of official mourning in the Vatican before cardinals meet to choose a new pope to lead the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
