THE funeral of Pope Francis took place on Saturday, April 26, 2025, in St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City.
The Pope died on April 21, 2025, at the age of 88.
The funeral Mass was held in St. Peter’s Square, while his burial took place at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, Italy, as the leader of Catholic church had requested.
The Requiem Mass, led by College of Cardinals dean Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, was attended by more than 130 foreign delegations, including prominent world leaders, heads of state, reigning monarchs and more than 250,000 mourners in attendance.
In his sermon, Re honored Pope Francis’ ability to lead with “an open heart towards everyone”, describing him as a “pope among the people.”
The Italian government deployed over 2,500 police officers and 1,500 soldiers to provide security during the funeral while a no-fly zone was also imposed over Rome.
The funeral which lasted about 2 hours was punctuated with an elaborate set of rituals.
It came six days after the first Latin American pontiff made his final public appearance for Easter Sunday, at the same location.
Pope Francis, buried in a simple wooden coffin lined with zinc, was carried to his burial site by 40 mourners from marginalized communities, including prisoners, human trafficking victims, and trans women.
The funeral marked the beginning of a nine-day mourning period or the “novemdiales,” during which cardinals will concelebrate Mass in the Pope’s memory.
According to Church laws, a papal conclave to elect the Pope’s successor is expected to convene between May 6 and 12, 2025.
