What time did Pope Francis’ funeral begin?
Pope Francis’s funeral started shortly after 10 a.m. native time (4 a.m. Japanese, 1 a.m. Pacific) on the Vatican, exterior St. Peter’s Basilica. The ceremony was presided over by the dean of the Faculty of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re.
Folks attend the funeral Mass of Pope Francis, in St. Peter’s Sq., as seen from Rome, Italy, April 26, 2025.
Hannah McKay / REUTERS
The funeral adopted the Vatican’s liturgical ebook for papal funeral rites, known as the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis. It was damaged down into three separate phases, or “stations”: The preparation of the physique, the viewing of the physique, after which the burial.
An up to date version of the traditional papal funeral rites was authorised by Pope Francis final yr, altering some longstanding traditions, together with the kind of coffin used.
Throughout the homily, Cardinal Re mentioned “mercy and the joys of the gospel” had been two priorities of Pope Francis, “in contrast to the culture of waste.”
“He often reminded us… that we all belong to the same human family and that no one is saved alone,” Re mentioned.
Re mentioned Pope Francis “raised his voice, imploring peace,” as a result of “war always leaves the world worse than it was before. It is always a painful and tragic defeat for everyone.”
He mentioned Pope Francis inspired individuals to “build bridges, not walls.”
Who attended Pope Francis’ funeral?
Pope Francis’ funeral was attended by hundreds of members of the general public, in addition to spiritual leaders and heads of state from world wide.
President Trump and first woman Melania Trump attended, as did former President Joe Biden and his spouse, Dr. Jill Biden.
President Trump, first woman Melania Trump, Poland’s President Andrzej Duda, Portugal’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, French President Emmanuel Macron and Spain’s King Felipe attend the funeral Mass of Pope Francis, April 26, 2025.
Nathan Howard / REUTERS
When Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his spouse Olena Zelenska arrived to take their seats forward of the service, the gathered crowd erupted in applause. Mr. Trump, who’s making an attempt to dealer a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, met privately with Zelenskyy earlier within the day.
The Vatican mentioned there have been delegations from about 130 international locations on the ceremony, with 50 heads of state and 10 reigning monarchs in attendance, together with:
Britain’s Prince William
U.Okay. Prime Minister Keir Starmer
French President Emmanuel Macron
Germany’s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier
Outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni
United Nations Secretary Normal Antonio Guterres
EU Fee chief Ursula von der Leyen
European Council President Antonio Costa
Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
Argentina’s President Javier Milei
Honduras’ President Xiomara Castro
Philippines’ President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
India’s president Droupadi Murmu
President of the Central African Republic, Faustin-Archange Touadera
President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Felix Tshisekedi
President of Cape Verde, Jose Maria Neves
Sen. Susan Collins led a bipartisan delegation of Catholic U.S. senators to attend the pope’s funeral.
The place is Pope Francis buried?
In a break from custom, Pope Francis selected to be buried exterior the Vatican on the Basilica of St. Mary Main (Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, the place he typically went to hope throughout his papacy. Seven earlier popes are buried there, however he’s the primary in centuries.
The coffin was transported by way of the town in an open-topped popemobile, and big crowds gathered alongside the procession path to pay their ultimate respects to the late pontiff.
Crowds collect to observe the procession carrying the coffin of the late Pope Francis by way of the streets of Rome to his ultimate resting place on April 26, 2025.
Andrei Pungovschi / Getty Photos
These gathered exterior St. Mary Main cheered because the procession arrived.
Many popes have been laid to relaxation contained in the Vatican, within the Vatican grottoes, a system of vaults on the decrease stage of St. Peter’s Basilica — however in his final will and testomony, Francis requested he be laid to relaxation within the church that had particular that means for him.
“I wish that my last earthly journey conclude precisely in this ancient Marian sanctuary where I went for prayer at the beginning and end of each Apostolic journey to confidently entrust my intentions to the Immaculate Mother and thank Her for her docile and maternal care,” Francis mentioned in his will.
A view of the Santa Maria Maggiore (St. Mary Main) Basilica in Rome on April 24, 2025.
Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto through Getty Photos
“The tomb must be in the earth; simple, without particular decoration and with the only inscription: Franciscus,” he wrote.
Burial rites had been to be led on the web site by the Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, Cardinal Kevin Farrell.
Amongst those who had been gathered for the arrival of the pope’s coffin at St. Mary Main had been people from communities Pope Francis supported, together with prisoners with particular permission, homeless individuals, members of the trans group and victims and survivors of intercourse trafficking, the Vatican mentioned.
When will they select the following pope?
After the funeral, 9 days of mourning started, known as the Novemdiales.
Eligible cardinals underneath the age of 80 — at the moment a bunch of about 135 — will collect in Rome to arrange for the papal conclave, the centuries-old course of to pick out the following pope. The conclave normally begins round two weeks after a pope’s loss of life, so on this case, possible in early Might.
Throughout the conclave, eligible cardinals will isolate themselves and, behind closed doorways within the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel, they’ll forged ballots for his or her selection, repeating the method till a candidate receives a two-thirds-plus-one majority. The ballots, that are paper, are burned after every spherical of voting.
Anna Matranga
contributed to this report.
Extra
