From the first light of Saturday morning, St Peter’s Square overflowed with mourners a tide of humanity gathering to witness history as the funeral of Pope Francis unfolded at the heart of the Vatican.
By 10:00 a.m. (0800 GMT), the ancient square was a sea of waving flags, tear-streaked faces, and bowed heads. Over 200,000 people were expected to attend the service, a final tribute to the pope who spent twelve years reshaping the Catholic Church with a message of inclusion, humility, and compassion.
Security across Vatican City was intense. A no-fly zone blanketed the airspace, rooftop snipers watched from the surrounding buildings, and fighter jets stood ready a reflection of the heavy presence of dignitaries. More than 50 world leaders, including US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, took their places alongside royalty and senior clergy clad in crimson vestments.
Yet despite the formalities, it was the ordinary people who defined the morning. Families huddled under coats after a night in the open, pilgrims clutched rosaries, and songs of prayer drifted through the cool spring air.
Pope Francis, who died Monday at the age of 88, was revered not just as the first Latin American pope but as a relentless advocate for the poor, the refugee, and the outcast. His coffin, which had laid in state inside St Peter’s Basilica for three days, drew more than 250,000 mourners before today’s final farewell.
As the mass began under the somber tolling of the basilica’s bells, an overwhelming sense of unity and gratitude hung over the crowd. Across nine days of official mourning ahead, the Vatican will reflect on the end of a transformative papacy and soon after, cardinals from around the world will gather to elect his successor.
But today, for these thousands gathered under the Roman sky, the focus was simple: honoring a man who changed the Church by reaching beyond its walls.
