Key moments from Pope Francis’ funeral as mourners bid farewell to late pontiff

Pope Francis was laid to rest Saturday on the Basilica of St. Mary Main in Rome after dying at 88 years old on April 21.

Greater than 250,000 folks turned out to bid farewell to the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church. The gang at St. Peter’s Sq. within the Vatican included many younger folks and world leaders, giving us some vital snapshots of our political second.

Listed below are some key moments from the historic occasion:

Francis remembered as ‘pope among the many folks’

At his funeral, Pope Francis was remembered and venerated as a pontiff with “power and serenity” who modeled his hold forth on St. Francis of Assisi. The dean of the School of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re, delivered the homily in entrance of mourners in St. Peter’s Sq..

“He established direct contact with people and peoples, desperate to be near everybody, with a marked consideration to these in issue, giving himself with out measure, particularly to the marginalized, the least amongst us,” Re mentioned.

“He was a Pope among the many folks, with an open coronary heart in direction of everybody. He was additionally a Pope attentive to the indicators of the instances and what the Holy Spirit was awakening within the Church.”

Younger folks play a distinguished function in Pope Francis’ funeral

Pope Francis’ outreach resonated with the youthful generations, hundreds of whom have been current in St. Peter’s Sq. to mourn the late pontiff throughout his funeral on Saturday morning.

About 80,000 youngsters had registered for the Jubilee of Teenagers, a particular occasion for worshippers between the ages of 12 and 17 in the course of the Catholic Church’s Jubilee yr of 2025, in keeping with the Dicastery for Evangelization, a division of the Roman Curia — the central governing physique of the Catholic Church.

Some adjustments have been made to the occasion, scheduled for Friday and Sunday, attributable to Francis’ loss of life. The canonization of Carlo Acutis, who died in 2006 on the age of 15 from leukemia, was postponed. Acutis, an Italian teen recognized for his devotion to the Eucharist, is ready to turn out to be the primary “millennial” saint upon his canonization, which was formally accredited by Francis in July 2024.

Crowd applauds as Pope Francis’ coffin is introduced out of basilica

The mourners assembled in St. Peter’s Sq. broke into applause as pallbearers carried the pope’s coffin outdoors. It was the location of Pope Francis’ final official act, when he celebrated Easter Sunday a day earlier than he died on April 21.

American reporter delivers 1st studying

Some younger adults even performed a distinguished function within the funeral proceedings. American Kielce Gussie, 28, did the first reading in English — a number of verses from the Acts of the Apostles.

Gussie works as a journalist at Vatican Information and accomplished her undergraduate diploma in theology at Mount St. Mary’s College. She additionally has a licentiate diploma in church communication from Rome’s Pontifical College of the Holy Cross.

Crowd applauds Ukrainian President Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in attendance together with his spouse Olena Zelenska, earned applause from the gang in St. Peter’s Sq. appeared on the screens across the space.

Zelenskyy has led Ukraine in the course of the nation’s warfare with Russia, which escalated in 2022 after the Russian invasion of the Eastern European country.

President Donald Trump met privately with Zelenskyy previous to the funeral and had a “very productive session,” White Home Communications Director Steven Cheung instructed the press pool touring with Trump.

It was the primary assembly between the 2 males since their contentious February meeting within the Oval Workplace, through which Trump and Vice President JD Vance rebuked Zelenskyy for his dealing with of the warfare.

First girl Melania Trump joined the president on the funeral. Former President Joe Biden and former first girl Jill Biden attended the funeral as nicely, sitting about 4 rows behind the Trumps.

Pages of the Guide of Gospels blow within the wind

It is without doubt one of the most poignant and iconic moments in papal funerals: the easy but profound picture of the breeze blowing the pages of the Guide of the Gospels resting on high of the pope’s coffin in St. Peter’s Sq..

The ebook was opened to the studying, “Within the Ardour and loss of life of the Lord.”

Bells toll as coffin is introduced again into basilica

The coffin carrying Pope Francis was introduced by the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica for a last time as bells tolled for the pope all through the Vatican.

The funeral, which lasted greater than two hours, concluded with bells ringing for the pontiff. His coffin was taken to Rome’s Basilica of Saint Mary Main the place he was laid to relaxation.

1000’s line streets of Rome for Pope Francis’ funeral procession

The four-mile route between St. Peter’s Basilica and the ultimate resting place of Pope Francis — the Basilica of St. Mary Main in Rome — was lined with tens of hundreds of mourners following his funeral on Saturday morning.

Folks may very well be seen crying and applauding as Francis’ coffin drove by.

Francis’ coffin was placed in the bed of a white pickup truck, the place it was seen to the hundreds lining the streets. The procession took the pope’s physique previous a few of Rome’s historic landmarks, such because the Roman Discussion board and the Colosseum.

When Pope Francis arrived on the Basilica of Saint Mary Main, it was the final time he was seen in public earlier than his burial. The basilica will reopen to guests once more on Sunday.

ABC Information’ Alexandra Hutzler, Kevin Shalvey, Jon Haworth, Hannah Demissie, Molly Nagle, Alex Ederson, Phoebe Natanson and Thomas Dunlavey.