The Pontiff’s final resting place will be the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major, a few miles away from St. Peter’s Basilica.
The sun rose over a packed St. Peter’s Square on the morning of April 26 as hundreds of thousands of the faithful gathered for the funeral Mass of Pope Francis I, together with world leaders.
The funeral began at 10 a.m. local time, 4 a.m. ET, just outside St. Peter’s Basilica. The Mass was celebrated by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, accompanied by various cardinals, patriarchs, and bishops.
An altar was placed just outside the doors of the iconic basilica, with seating areas for Cardinals and dignitaries placed on both sides. At the base of the parvis, a grid of white squares of seated clergy extended in the square to the looker’s left side. Nearly every other space in the square and the Via Della Conciliazione was filled with the faithful.
As pilgrims and politicians alike settled into their places, religious sisters led the entire congregation in recitations of the rosary, while the pontiff’s coffin remained in its place inside, tended to by the Swiss Guard, allowing dignitaries a final chance to give an intimate farewell.
In all, about 250 cardinals were expected to attend the Mass, many of whom would soon be called upon to elect the next pope, as well as scores of bishops, priests, religious brothers and sisters, and hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world.
People gather along Via della Conciliazione street ahead of late Pope Francis’ funeral ceremony, near the Vatican in Rome on April 26, 2025. Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images
The patriarchs and cardinals were dressed in purple liturgical garments while the bishops were wearing plain white miters. The cardinals participating in the mass were wearing red.
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Also expected to attend, according to the Vatican, were delegations from at least 130 nations and international organizations, including 12 reigning monarchs, 14 heads of Government, 55 heads of State, and other officials.
That expected list included President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania, who celebrated her 55th birthday on Saturday. Argentina President Javier Milei, Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Sergio Mattarella, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were also expected to be in attendance.
U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. First Lady Melania Trump during the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City on April 26, 2025. Antonio Masiello/Getty Images
The funeral mass program included readings from the Acts of the Apostles, St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, and the Gospel of John. Cardinal Re was set to give a homily, and then the prayers of the faithful were to be given in Arabic, French, Chinese, Portuguese, Polish, and German. Following on from these are the liturgy of the Eucharist, Holy Communion, and the Rite of Final Commendation, concluding with the Ultimo Commendation and Valedictio—Latin names for the funeral rite’s concluding prayer and farewell, formally entrusting the deceased to God.
Music was set to be provided by the Choir of the Sistine Chapel.
Next in the order of events, following Mass, is a procession to the pontiff’s final resting place at the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major, a few miles away.
Inside, a tomb between the Pauline Chapel and the Sforza Chapel, close to the Altar of St. Francis, has been prepared to receive him.
The four-kilometer procession from St. Peter’s Square was programmed to progress at a slow pace, allowing Romans to bid farewell along the way. According to the Vatican, the route follows a path Pope Francis took before and after his 47 apostolic journeys and after his hospital stays to pray before the Virgin Salus Populi Romani Icon.
A general view of St. Peter’s Square as pallbearers carry the coffin during the funeral of Pope Francis in Vatican City, Vatican. on April 26, 2025. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
The burial rite was set to be done privately, presided over by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Vatican’s Camerlengo, or Chamberlain. Farrell will be joined by several other officials who are required to take part in the liturgical celebration. Those include Re, along with Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, the archpriest of the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state under Francis, and Cardinal Baldassare Reina, vicar general for the Diocese of Rome.
By direct request of Pope Francis, a group of poor and needy people referred to as “the last ones” will be at the steps of the basilica to pay their respects before his coffin is interred.
“‘The poor have a special place in God’s heart.’ So too in the heart and Magisterium of the Holy Father, who chose the name Francis so as to never forget them,” the Holy See Press Office said in a statement.
The coffin was to be placed in the tomb and sprinkled with holy water as participants recited the Regina Cæli prayer. Afterward, an official act confirming the burial was to be drawn up and read aloud by the notary of the Liberian Chapter, signed by the Cardinal Camerlengo, the Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations, the Regent of the Papal Household, and the notary.
This is the third papal funeral held by the Vatican in this millennium, and the entire ceremony was expected to end around 2 p.m. local time.
Pope Benedict XVI’s funeral in 2023 lasted around two hours, while the 2005 funeral for Pope St. John Paul II lasted about three hours. However, Pope Francis broke from tradition and chose not to be buried within St. Peter’s Basilica.
