Pope Francis was laid to rest in a private burial ceremony at the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica in Rome on Saturday, April 26, following a funeral Mass attended by a multitude of mourners, including prominent world leaders and dignitaries.
The service was held at St. Peter’s Square, with hundreds of thousands of faithful and heads of state, including Indian President Droupadi Murmu and US President Donald Trump, coming together to honour the late pontiff.
Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21 at the age of 88 after suffering a stroke, was remembered for his profound legacy as a “pope among the people.” During the funeral homily, the words of Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who led the service, celebrated Francis’s life of humility and service, emphasizing his mission to “build bridges, not walls.”
The funeral began at 1:30 p.m. (IST) in St. Peter’s Square, where an impressive Baroque setting welcomed mourners from across the world. As one of the most significant papal events in recent history, the funeral drew an estimated 200,000 attendees, and the Vatican, along with Italian authorities, implemented extensive security measures to manage the large crowd.
