Rome: Pope Francis has been laid to rest at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome, in a simple underground tomb with just his papal name: Franciscus. His funeral on Saturday attracted as many as 250,000 people, rich and poor alike, who came to pay their respects.
According to Ethiopian News Agency, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, who eulogized Pope Francis, memorialized him as ‘a pope among the people, with an open heart towards everyone.’ After the funeral mass on St Peter’s Square, the pope’s coffin was moved to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major for a private burial. Despite the attendance of the president and princes, it was prisoners, transgender people, migrants, and the poor who welcomed his body into the church towards his final resting place.
The pope hoped the ceremony would reflect the priorities of his papacy, where he aimed to emphasize his role as a mere priest rather than a powerful religious leader. World leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump and Argentine President Javier Milei, along with royalty, converged on Rome for the funeral. But the group of marginalized people who met his casket in a small crosstown basilica are more in keeping with Francis’ humble persona and disdain for pomp.
The Vatican said that 164 delegations are confirmed, including 54 heads of state and 12 reigning sovereigns. French President Emmanuel Macron, who also attended the funeral, was among those who made it in time to pay last respects to the pope.
Tens of thousands of mourners waited hours in line over three days to bid farewell to Francis, who died Monday after suffering a stroke at the age of 88. A higher-than-expected turnout prompted the Vatican to extend the basilica’s opening hours overnight. Angele Bilegue, a nun, was among the last mourners. It was her third time to pay her respects, including once inside the Vatican at his residence in the Santa Marta Domus, where she said she spent six hours praying at his coffin.
A changing of the guards at Francis’ open coffin signaled the end of the viewing period of the pontiff, who was laid out in red robes, a bishop’s pointed miter, and a rosary entwined in his hands. He was being buried with his well-worn black shoes, including scuff marks on the toe – emblematic of the simple life he espoused. Cardinal Kevin Farrell presided over the closing and sealing of the coffin in his role of camerlengo, or interim Vatican administrator. According to photos released by the Vatican, a white cloth was placed over the pope’s face, and a bag containing coins minted during his papacy was put in the coffin along with a one-page written account of his papacy.
The account, called a rogito, summarized his whole life’s story, from his childhood in Argentina as the son of parents with Italian heritage through his priesthood and promotions eventually to archbishop and cardinal in Buenos Aires – and then pope. It highlighted his ‘defense of innocents,’ his encyclicals, and also his illnesses.
Roman neighbors and retired flight attendants Aurelia Ballarini and Francesca Codato came to pay respects to Francis on Friday with very different motivations. Ballarini, 72, was coming to terms with her grief, and Codato, 78, was seeking forgiveness. For Ballarini, the pope’s death leaves a hole in her life. While only 16 years younger than Francis, she considered him a grandfather figure. Codato said that she feels tremendous guilt toward Francis, having forsaken him out of devotion to one of his predecessors, St. John Paul II.
The work of the conclave to choose a new pope won’t start until at least May 5, after nine days of public mourning. Cardinals have been arriving in Rome, with 149 meeting on Friday morning to discuss church business. They won’t meet again until next week, meaning a conclave date is unlikely to be set until after the funeral. Cardinal Fran§ois-Xavier Bustillo, who hosted Francis during his last papal trip to Corsica last year, remembered Francis as ‘a free man’ who “humanized the church without desacralizing it.’
In keeping with Francis’ embrace of the marginalized, the Vatican said a group of poor and needy people will meet the pope’s coffin to pay homage to him when it arrives at St. Mary Major Basilica for burial on Saturday. It has already become a point of pilgrimage. The tomb is being prepared behind a wooden barrier within the basilica that he chose to be near an icon of the Madonna that he revered and often prayed before. The burial will take place in private, the Vatican said.
Italy is deploying more than 2,500 police officers and 1,500 soldiers to provide security during the funeral, which is expected to gather about 200,000 mourners in St. Peter’s Square and up to 300,000 people along the 4-kilometer (2½-mile) route from the Vatican to the pope’s burial place across Rome. The major security operation includes stationing an armed naval vessel off the coast, and putting squads of fighter jets on standby, Italian media reported.
Trump, who is traveling with first lady Melania Trump, is scheduled to arrive Friday, after Francis’ coffin has been sealed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s press office previously confirmed his presence, but he told reporters Friday evening on the site of a recent missile attack that he will attend if time permits, given obligations at home related to the ongoing war.