VATICAN CITY — The bells of St. Peter’s Basilica tolled at 10 a.m. Roman time, setting a solemn tone as thousands gathered for Pope Francis’ funeral.
An estimated 250,000 mourners filled St. Peter’s Square and packed the entire Via della Conciliazione, with crowds spilling into the surrounding streets.
World leaders arrived an hour earlier, prompting authorities to close the streets surrounding the Vatican to accommodate the influx of dignitaries.
As the Mass began, pallbearers carried Francis’s coffin—sealed the day before in a special rite—into the square, in view of the crowd.
This was the first papal funeral conducted under new liturgical guidelines introduced by Francis, designed to simplify the ceremony while maintaining dignity and reverence. The renewed rite “emphasised that the funeral of the Roman Pontiff is that of a pastor and disciple of Christ and not of a powerful person of this world.”
The first reading, delivered in English, recalled St. Peter’s speech during centurion Cornelius’ conversion. This episode underscored Francis’ own mission of reaching the peripheries, as St. Peter concluded: “God shows no partiality, but in every nation, anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him” (Acts 10:34—35).
The Gospel, read in Latin, featured the poignant passage where Jesus asks Peter three times, “Do you love me?” followed by His command to “Feed my sheep” (Jo 21:15—17)—a fitting reminder of the late pope’s pastoral mission.
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, delivered a homily that became the emotional centerpiece of the ceremony. He praised Francis’ spontaneity, warmth, and deep sensitivity for modern challenges, as well as his charism of welcoming and listening.
Re also listed many of Pope Francis’ major achievements during his pontificate. He emphasized Francis’ “special vocabulary and language,” recalling his use of powerful metaphors, such as the Church as a “field hospital for sinners” and his deep concern for the modern “throwaway culture.”
Addressing leaders of the world—some critical of immigration—Re highlighted Francis’s first journey to Lampedusa, where he honored migrants who perished at sea, and his Mass at the USA-Mexico border.
Also remembered were Francis’ historic trips, including his visit to Iraq during ISIS’ reign of terror and his journey to four countries of Asia-Oceania to strengthen interreligious dialogue in the region.
In this vein, his groundbreaking efforts in interreligious dialogue were also noted, particularly his signing of the Document on Human Fraternity alongside the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar. In fact, the call for universal fraternity, embodied in the encyclical Fratelli tutti, was a hallmark of his pontificate.
Another such hallmark was his push for mercy, expressed in his call for an Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy.
“Build bridges, not walls” and “no one is saved alone,” were also guiding principles of all his actions as pope.
In a touching twist, Card. Re turned Francis’ familiar request at the end of his speeches and meetings— “Pray for me”—on its head, asking the late pontiff to now be the one to pray for us, interceding for those he left behind.
Another emotional moment came at the ceremony’s end, when Eastern Catholic archbishops sang their own supplications in Greek, underscoring the Church’s universality.
After the Mass, Francis made one final journey through Rome in the popemobile, greeted by crowds and posters proclaiming, “The City of Rome hugs Francis with love,” as the Eternal City bid their final farewell.
His final resting place was the Basilica of St. Mary Major, a beloved church where he often prayed—even a week before his death. He became the first pope in more than a century to be interred there and not at St. Peter’s.
In a symbolic gesture true to his legacy, the last to bid him farewell were a representative group of poor people—embodying the “peripheries” that were at the heart of his Magisterium.
As Rome and the world mourn, preparations now begin for the conclave that will elect Francis’s successor.
This article was originally published at The City and the World.
Image: Pedro Gabriel
Pedro Gabriel, MD, is a Catholic layman and physician, born and residing in Portugal. He is a medical oncologist, currently employed in a Portuguese public hospital. A published writer of Catholic novels with a Tolkienite flavor, he is also a parish reader and a former catechist. He seeks to better understand the relationship of God and Man by putting the lens on the frailty of the human condition, be it physical and spiritual. He also wishes to provide a fresh perspective of current Church and World affairs from the point of view of a small western European country, highly secularized but also highly Catholic by tradition.
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