Mourners rush to St. Peter's Square to secure spots as Vatican gates open for funeral of Pope Francis at 7:20 AM Rome time on April 26, 2025. Image: CNA.
(The Post News)– Tens of thousands are expected to descend on Vatican City today as Pope Francis is laid to rest in a funeral service that brings together world leaders, faithful Catholics and those who admired him from afar. The 88-year-old pope died on April 21, after more than a decade leading the Catholic Church as its first Latin American pontiff.
Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina, often challenged tradition during his papacy, and even in death, he’s done the same. Instead of being buried beneath St. Peter’s Basilica like many of his predecessors, Francis will be laid to rest in the Basilica of St. Mary Major, a couple of kilometers from Vatican City. His body, which has been lying in state at his residence in Casa Santa Marta, will be transported in a public procession through Rome, with up to one million people expected to line the route. In a break from long-standing funeral customs, there will be no triple coffin burial, a gesture that reflects the pope’s long-standing wish for a simpler ceremony.
The funeral has drawn an extraordinary lineup of international dignitaries, including U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and First Lady Janja Lula da Silva, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and First Lady Lisa Marcos, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and Argentina’s President Javier Milei. Italy is being represented by both Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Sergio Mattarella.
Brazil and the Philippines, two of the world’s largest Catholic countries; have long had close ties with the Vatican. Brazil, home to more than 100 million Catholics, and the Philippines, where about 80% of the population identify as Catholic, are expected to have large delegations at the ceremony. South Africa has yet to confirm whether it will send a representative. There’s also no official word on the attendance of Cardinal Stephen Brislin, despite confirmations from other high-ranking clergy around the world.
Following the funeral, the Church will enter a nine-day mourning period known as novemdiales, before the College of Cardinals meets to elect a new pope. The Vatican has set up a live broadcast of the ceremony, and broadcasters are doing the same, offering Catholics around the world a chance to bid farewell to a pope who changed the face of the Church.
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