ATHENS
The funeral of Pope Francis, attended by over 250,000 people who were joined by world leaders and royals, was held on Saturday in Vatican.
The solemn funeral and moving celebration was presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, who was joined by some 250 cardinals, patriarchs, archbishops, bishops, priests, and consecrated religious people.
According to the Italian and Vatican sources, 160 delegations representing states, royal families, and international organizations, attended the funeral, including US President Donald Trump, former US President Joe Biden, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Italian President Sergio Mattarella, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Prince William, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Argentine President Javier Gerardo Milei, Belgian King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, Norwegian Crown Prince Haakon, and Crown Princess Mette-Marit.
Following the funeral at the Saint Peter's Square in Vatican, Francis’ coffin was carried in procession to Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica in Rome, where will be buried.
Meanwhile, the French Presidency announced that US President Trump, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, France’s President Macron, and UK Premier Starmer had a “positive meeting” on the sidelines of the funeral.
Earlier, before the start of the funeral mass, Trump and Zelenskyy held a private talk.
Pope Francis was born in Buenos Aires on Dec. 17, 1936, to Italian immigrant parents.
He studied in Argentina and later in Germany before being ordained as a Jesuit priest in 1969.
Over a decade into his papacy, he remained a figure of admiration and controversy.
He sought to reform the Vatican’s bureaucracy, tackle corruption, and address some of the church’s most pressing challenges.
The pope was admitted to a hospital in Rome in February with bronchitis, which developed into bilateral pneumonia. He was discharged after 38 days to continue his recovery at his Vatican residence.
Pope Francis died on Monday at the age of 88.
