POPE Francis has been buried in Rome after a funeral ceremony and procession attended by hundreds of thousands of people and many heads of state.
After a solemn but beautiful Requiem Mass, Pope Francis’ mortal remains made their way across the Eternal City to his final resting place: the Basilica of Saint Mary Major.
Hundreds of thousands of mourners joined world leaders, including US President Donald Trump, to bid farewell to Pope Francis, a champion of the poor who strived to forge a more compassionate Catholic church.
The Vatican said 400,000 people packed St Peter's Square and lined the streets of Rome for the funeral of the first Latin American leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.
Pope Francis, who on Easter Sunday, the day before he died, had driven around St. Peter's Square in his popemobile, where he, perhaps unknowingly, said goodbye to the faithful.
The procession on Saturday travelled through the ancient ruins of Rome, past the monument of the fallen soldiers in Piazza Venezia.
The popemobile-turned-hearse drove up to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, where his coffin was raised towards the crowd for a final goodbye.
Inside the Basilica, the Pope’s coffin was held for a few moments before the entrance to the Pauline Chapel, so that he could face the icon of Mary Salus Populi Romani before being taken to the niche beside it prepared for his tomb.
Cardinals marked his coffin with red wax seals before it was lowered into a tomb set inside an alcove, according to images released by the Vatican.
At 1 pm, the Rite of the Burial of the Roman Pontiff began.
The rite took place according to the prescriptions of the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis, presided over by Cardinal Camerlengo Kevin Farrell, in the presence of those indicated in the relevant Notice from the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations and the family members of the deceased Pope.
The liturgical ceremony concluded at 1:30 pm.
Pope Francis has now been laid to rest in the burial niche in the side nave between the Sforza Chapel and the Pauline Chapel, which houses the icon of Mary Salus Populi Romani.
The marble tomb is inscribed with just one word: "Franciscus", his papal name in Latin. – April 27, 2025
