The funeral of Pope Francis has begun with an elaborate set of rituals at St. Peter’s square, six days after he made his final public appearance for Easter.
According to the Vatican, around 200,000 people gathered at the Square to mark the death of Pope Francis – the first Latin American Pontiff.
130 delegations, including world leaders and reigning Monarchs, were present. US President, Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, were also among the leaders who filed past the Pope’s casket before the funeral.
The funeral began shortly after world leaders had taken their seats in the square.
The seating plan was based on a complex order of precedence, with Argentina – the country of the Pope’s birth – and Italy at the front.
Other sovereigns, heads of state, and heads of government were then seated in alphabetical order of their countries’ names in the French language – used because French is considered the language of diplomacy.
The funeral mass was led by Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the Dean of the college of cardinals.
In his homily, the 91-year-old honored Francis’ ability to lead with “an open heart towards everyone,” describing him as a “Pope among the people.”
He recalled the last image many people have of Francis was of him delivering what would become his final blessing on Easter Sunday, and saluting from the popemobile in the same piazza where his funeral was being held.
“He was driven by the conviction that the Church is a home for all, a home with its doors always open … a Church capable of bending down to every person, regardless of their beliefs or condition, and healing their wounds.”
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re
He also spoke of Francis’s care for immigrants, his constant pleas for peace, the need for negotiations to end wars and the importance of the climate.
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re’s homily was followed by the liturgy of the Eucharist, where bread and wine are consecrated and then shared.
Much of the music at the funeral was sung in plainchant – simple lines of music chanted by priests and the choir.
Prayers were recited in various languages, including Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese and Arabic, reflecting the global reach of the 1.4billion-member Roman Catholic church.
Trump, Zelenskyy Meet On Pope Francis’ Funeral Sidelines
US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a discussion on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral as the White House ramps up its push to strike a deal to end the war in Ukraine.
White House Communications Director, Steven Cheung confirmed in a statement that Trump and Zelensky met ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis.
Cheung said that Trump and Zelenskyy “met privately today and had a very productive discussion” adding, “More details about the meeting will follow.”
Trump and Zelenskyy had not met in person since an unprecedented shouting match at the White House in February, when the US leader berated the Ukrainian President for not demonstrating enough gratitude for American support in his country’s fight against Russia.
During that meeting, both Trump and US Vice President JD Vance raised their voices, accusing Zelensky of standing in the way of a peace agreement with Russia.
Zelenskyy was essentially kicked out of the White House following the Oval Office blowout.
Saturday’s meeting comes amid an increasingly urgent White House effort to strike a peace deal.
Trump said after landing in Rome that Russia and Ukraine were “very close” to a deal to end the three-year war, after his top envoy, Steve Witkoff met with President Vladimir Putin on Friday in talks described by Moscow as “constructive.”
