DE News Desk :
Leaders from around the globe, royalty, and ordinary faithful gathered in Rome on Saturday to bid farewell to Pope Francis, whose 12-year papacy left a profound mark on the Catholic Church and the world.
Under bright spring skies, more than 250,000 mourners filled St. Peter’s Square and the surrounding streets as the Vatican held a solemn funeral Mass, presided over by Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re.
Paying tribute to Francis’ enduring commitment to the marginalized, migrants, and the environment, Re urged the Church to continue along the path the Argentine pontiff had charted.
“Rich in human warmth and deeply sensitive to the challenges of our times, Pope Francis truly shared the anxieties, sufferings, and hopes of the modern world,” said Cardinal Re during the service.
On one side of the late pope’s casket sat cardinals who will gather next month to elect his successor; on the other, foreign dignitaries, including U.S. President Donald Trump, whose relationship with Francis had at times been tense over issues such as immigration and climate change.
The 88-year-old pontiff died on Monday after suffering a stroke, bringing to an end a papacy marked by calls for peace, reform, and a more inclusive Church.
His funeral also offered a rare moment for dialogue, as Trump briefly met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky inside the Basilica amid ongoing efforts to find a resolution to the war in Ukraine.
The funeral Mass began with applause as Francis’ simple wooden coffin, adorned with a large cross, was carried into the square by 14 white-gloved pallbearers.
Applause erupted again as the casket was raised high at the conclusion of the service for the crowd to see one last time.
A sea of color washed across the Vatican from aerial views: black suits worn by world leaders, the red vestments of 250 cardinals, the purple robes of 400 bishops, and the white cassocks of 4,000 priests.
In a departure from tradition, Francis was laid to rest not within the Vatican, but at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, honoring his wish for a modest burial.
It marked the first time in over a century that a pope was buried outside St. Peter’s Basilica.
After the funeral, the coffin was placed on an open-topped popemobile and driven 5.5 kilometers through Rome.
Tens of thousands lined the route, waving signs, throwing flowers, and chanting “Viva il Papa” and “Ciao, Francesco” as the cortege passed iconic landmarks, including the Colosseum.
The private burial at St. Mary Major concluded a farewell that mirrored Francis’ papacy — simple, deeply human, and profoundly connected to the people he served.
