In break with recent tradition, 88-year-old leader of Catholic world was buried in Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica in Rome.
Pope Francis has been laid to rest in Rome following solemn, hours-long funeral rites at St Peter’s Square in the Vatican, bringing to a close his sometimes turbulent 12-year leadership of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
The Argentinian pontiff, who died earlier this week from a stroke and cardiac arrest at the age of 88, was buried on Saturday at the Basilica of St Mary Major in the Italian capital.
As sunny skies greeted crowds of well-wishers in Rome, tens of thousands packed the square to attend the ceremony, officiated by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, with many queueing from the early hours outside the square.
Security around the Vatican was unprecedented, with Italian authorities deploying more than 2,500 police officers and 1,500 soldiers, closing the airspace above Vatican City, and stationing a torpedo ship off the coast, Italian media reported.
Pallbearers carry the coffin of Pope Francis during his funeral at the Vatican
Applause and cheers rang out as Francis’s wooden coffin, inlaid with a large cross, was carried by 14 white-gloved pallbearers through the main doors of St Peter’s Basilica to the outdoor funeral service.
Among the mourners were royals and global leaders, including United States President Donald Trump, who had frequently clashed with Francis over their sharply contrasting views on immigration.
French President Emmanuel Macron, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, European Union leaders, the United Kingdom’s Prince William, and members of the Spanish royal family were also in attendance.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who had initially said he could not attend due to new Russian attacks, was present after all. According to reports, he held a meeting with Trump before the ceremony – their first face-to-face encounter since a heated Oval Office clash in February.
Former US President Joe Biden also attended, alongside other world leaders including Argentina’s President Javier Milei, Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and Lebanon’s General Joseph Aoun.
‘A pope among the people’
As world leaders watched from the sidelines, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re delivered a moving funeral homily, describing Francis as a relentless advocate for peace and human dignity.
“Faced with the raging wars of recent years, with their inhuman horrors and countless deaths and destruction, Pope Francis incessantly raised his voice imploring peace and calling for reason and honest negotiation to find possible solutions,” Battista Re said.
“His gestures and exhortations in favour of refugees and displaced people are countless,” Battista Re told the crowd.
He eulogised Francis as “a pope among the people, with an open heart towards everyone”, known for his informal, spontaneous style and his ability to reach “the least among us”.
![Over three days this week, more than 250,000 people stood for hours in line to pay their final respects while Francis’ body lay in state inside St. Peter’s Basilica [Susana Vera/Reuters]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/2025-04-26T054922Z_1976698341_RC2H5EAMMTRW_RTRMADP_3_POPE-FRANCIS-FUNERAL-1-1745646915.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C514&quality=80)
Over three days this week, more than 250,000 people stood for hours in line to pay their final respects while Francis’s body lay in state at St Peter’s Basilica
