World Leaders, Catholic Faithful Bid Farewell to Pope Francis

World leaders and Catholic faithful gathered to bid farewell to Pope Francis in a solemn yet hopeful funeral on Saturday, reflecting his lifelong priorities and pastoral spirit. While presidents and princes attended the funeral Mass at St. Peter’s Square, prisoners and migrants welcomed his remains into the Santa Maria Maggiore basilica, where he was laid to rest.

The 88-year-old Argentine pontiff had died on Monday, April 21, 2025, following a stroke, less than a month after being discharged from a five-week hospital stay battling double pneumonia.

The funeral Mass, which drew tens of thousands to St. Peter’s Square on a brilliant spring day, had originally been intended as part of a special Holy Year celebration for adolescents. Despite the somber occasion, the presence of so many young people lent the ceremony a festive tone, with mourners taking selfies even as hymns filled the air and Pope Francis’ simple wooden coffin was brought out of the basilica.

Following the Mass, the coffin was taken through the streets of Rome in a white popemobile, escorted by Swiss Guards. Around 150,000 people lined the streets to pay their respects, according to the Vatican. The procession concluded at the Santa Maria Maggiore basilica, Pope Francis' favorite church in Rome, where a 30-minute burial ceremony was held.

The funeral date had been set earlier by the cardinals during a "general congregation" meeting, the first of a series of meetings that would culminate in a conclave within three weeks to elect a new pope.

World leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump and India’s President Droupadi Murmu, were among those who attended the funeral. Sharing images of President Murmu laying tributes to the late pope, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "Rashtrapati Ji pays homage to His Holiness, Pope Francis on behalf of the people of India. The world will always remember his service to society."

The Vatican confirmed that after the funeral Mass, Pope Francis was buried inside the Santa Maria Maggiore basilica, fulfilling his final wish to rest among the people he had always sought to serve.

Also Read: Pope Francis, First Latin American Pontiff, Passes Away at 88