Pope Francis laid to Rest at St. Mary Major Basilica

Pope Francis was laid to rest at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major on Saturday, April 26, 2025, after a funeral Mass at the Vatican attended by hundreds of thousands of mourners and world leaders, including United States President, Donald Trump.

Francis, who died on Easter Monday, aged 88, was remembered as a “pope among the people” who sought to “build bridges, not walls” in a funeral homily at St. Peter’s Square.

An estimated 400,000 people occupied the square and lined the streets of Rome to say goodbye to the Argentinian pontiff, a champion of the poor who had led the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics since 2013.

It's noteworthy that President Trump held talks with his Ukrainian counterpart on the sidelines of the funeral, which Volodymyr Zelensky described as positive, with “potential to become historic”.

The papal funeral marks the first of nine days of mourning for Catholics across the world.

Another Mass of mourning will be held in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, April 27. That will be led by Italian Cardinal, Pietro Parolin, who is reportedly viewed as a leading papal contender.

In coming days, the Vatican will announce the date for the commencement of the Conclave, in which Pope Francis’ successor would be elected.

FN Blog