Pope Francis’ funeral recap: Remarkable scenes as world leaders and 250,000 mourners say final farewell

Scenes in Vatican City as members of the clergy, nuns and pilgrims gather for the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square.

Today may mark the official funeral of the pope, but the whole process started on Monday.

Papal funerals are steeped in tradition dating back centuries, so much so there’s essentially a manual for it called the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis (Rite of Burial for Roman Pontiffs).

Here’s what happened at the Vatican:

April 21 – Day 1: Pope’s death confirmed

The pope’s death is confirmed by the camerlengo, akin to the treasurer of the Holy See. It’s currently Irish Cardinal Kevin Farrell.

Church bells toll in St Peter’s Square and across Rome, the Vatican’s flags are lowered to half-mast, and cardinals across the world are summoned to the city.

Cardinal Farrell then leads a ceremony at the chapel of Domus Sanctae Marthae, which functions as a guest house for visiting clergy. It’s also where the many cardinals who are flocking to the Vatican will stay.

The camerlengo authorises the death certificate, and the pope’s personal belongings are secured and inventoried.

The Ring of the Fisherman is removed and cut to symbolise the end of his papacy.

He is dressed in his papal regalia, which include red robes, white Cossack and the miter (pointed hat), his Fisherman’s Ring is returned, and rosary beads are placed in his hands before he is put in his coffin.

Popes of the past have traditionally been buried in three coffins: the first made of cypress wood, the second of lead and a third of elm or oak wood.

But Pope Francis revised this extravagant tradition, ruling last year that papal funerals need use only one coffin: wooden and lined in zinc.

The seals of Vatican officials are usually impressed on the coffin.

April 22 – Day 2: The College of Cardinals meet

The College of Cardinals, a group of the church’s most senior officials, meet to discuss the date and plans for the pope’s funeral.

They also discuss the process of choosing a successor, the conclave, but this doesn’t begin until weeks later.

April 23 – Day 3: The Rite of Translation

Pope Francis is taken from the chapel of Domus Sanctae Marthae to St Peter’s Basilica, around 9am local time, where he will lie in state for three days for the public to pay their respects.

The procession is led by members of the College of Cardinals present in Rome, through Santa Marta Square and the Square of the Roman Protomartyrs.

They then go through the Arch of the Bells into St Peter’s Square and enter the Vatican Basilica through the central door.

Public visits commence around 11am local time.

April 24 – Day 4: Public viewings continue

More than 50,000 people have paid their respects to Pope Francis in the 24 hours since the Basilica opened.

April 25 – Day 5: Sealing of the coffin

Pope Francis’ coffin is sealed during a liturgical rite at St. Peter’s Basilica at 8pm local time, attended by several cardinals and Holy See officials.

As camerlengo, Cardinal Farrell presides over the rite. The pope is blessed with holy water and his face covered with white silk.

A document of his papacy, known as a rogito, is placed in the coffin. A second copy is archived at the Vatican.

During the ceremony attendees sing Psalm 42, which begins: “As a deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God.”

April 26 – Day 6: The funeral

Starting 10am local time, roughly 2.5-hour service held mainly in Latin will be attended by global dignitaries, religious leaders and thousands of mourners alike.

There is a procession to St Peter’s Square, usually led by a priest carrying a cross, followed by the coffin and then ordained clergy.

The coffin is then set down in St Peter’s Square and a book of the Gospels placed on top.

Then the Dean of the College of Cardinals, currently Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, will preside over the funeral mass, which will include various hymns and scripture.

The pope’s body will then be carried through the “door of death” at St Peter’s Basilica as bells toll and psalms are chanted.

He will then be taken to the Basilica of St Mary Major, outside the walls of Vatican City, for burial in keeping with his wishes.

The camerlengo presides over the private entombment.

A nine-day period of mourning, known as the Novemdiales, begins.

Huge crowds are beginning to form for Pope Francis’ funeral mass in the vast square in front of St. Peter’s Basilica.

More than 200,000 people are expected to attend the ceremony to pay their respects, including about 50 heads of state and 10 reigning monarchs.

More than 15,000 people have already tuned in to watch the live stream provided by Vatican News.

President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo arriving in Rome on Friday, accompanied by First Lady Denise Nyakeru, to attend the funeral of Pope Francis.

More than 200,000 people are expected to attend the ceremony in the vast square in front of St. Peter’s Basilica. The Vatican said 130 delegations are confirmed, including 50 heads of state and 10 reigning sovereigns.

As dawn breaks in Rome, pilgrims - who had been lining up for hours - make their way to St Peter’s Square for the Solemn Requiem Mass for Pope Francis, reports Vatican News.

Francis will be buried according to his wishes in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore (St Mary Major), to which he had a special devotion.

The last pope to be buried outside the Vatican was Leo XIII, who died in 1903.

The funeral cortege will travel to the basilica from St Peter’s. Crowds are expected to gather along the route, which is about 5.5km long.

A group of poor people will be present on the steps leading to Mary Major to pay their final respects to Francis, reflecting his devotion to serving the poor and oppressed during his reign.

The burial will be a private service, but visitors to the tomb will be allowed shortly afterwards. The tomb will be inscribed only with the Latin name for Francis, Franciscus.

-- Reuters

WHO IS ATTENDING?

More than 200,000 people are expected to attend the ceremony in the vast square in front of St. Peter’s Basilica. The Vatican said 130 delegations are confirmed, including 50 heads of state and 10 reigning sovereigns.

LEADING THE FUNERAL MASS

On Saturday morning, the Pope’s coffin will be taken out of the basilica and into the public square for the funeral. The funeral mass is due to start at 10am (6pm AEST), with a choir singing introductory rites in Latin.

Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re will deliver the homily and lead the mass, which is expected to be con-celebrated by 220 cardinals and 750 bishops and priests.

THE FINAL WORDS

One prayer at the mass will include petitions to God for all people and nations “to persevere in seeking the path of peace”.

In the “Final Commendation and Farewell”, Re will commend the Pope’s soul to God and ask for consolation for the 1.4 billion-member Roman Catholic Church.

Near the end of the mass, Re will say in Latin: “O God, faithful rewarder of souls, grant that your departed servant and our Bishops, Pope Francis, whom you made successor of Peter and shepherd of your Church, may happily enjoy forever in your presence in heaven the mysteries of your grace and compassion, which he faithfully ministered on earth.”

Re will then sprinkle the coffin with holy water and incense.

At the end of the mass, the choir will sing in Latin: “May the angels lead you into paradise; may the martyrs come and welcome you and take you into the holy city, the new and eternal Jerusalem.”

-- Reuters

Australia’s only Cardinal has spoken in Rome hours before the funeral of Pope Francis, reports AAP’s Alex Mitchell.

Melbourne-based Cardinal Mykola Bychok, Australia’s highest-ranking Catholic official, opened up about what he said was “a profoundly sacred moment for the church and the world”.

Cardinal Bychok, who Francis made a Cardinal late in 2024, said the period since the pontiff’s death on Easter Monday had been “a most challenging time”.

“As a newly appointed Cardinal, this experience is still very new to me,” he said.

“I have only just arrived here in Rome after spending several days in the Holy Land - days that were marked by silence, prayer, and reflection in the very places where our lord walked.”

Read the full story here.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa lead the fifth evening Rosary in memory of Pope Francis ahead of his funeral, reminding the faithful that to follow the Lord means to trust in Him and in His word.

A huge crowd gathered to listen, with many clutching their rosary beads as Cardinal Pizzaballa reflected on the day’s Gospel.

He said on the days following the Resurrection, the disciples withdraw into themselves and try to return to their daily lives, in an attempt to avoid thinking about the painful events they have experienced, reported Vatican News.

“We too, when faced with such a mystery, are tempted to be overwhelmed, and we struggle to place our trust in God”, said the cardinal, adding that “with the death of our beloved Holy Father Francis, we too experience the difficulty of believing”.

This evening, he cotìntinued, “we wish to ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, Salus Populi Romani, to help us lift our hearts and transform this hour of sorrow into a dawn of hope”.

​​

​​

Heads of state and royalty have started converging on Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis in the Vatican’s St Peter’s Square.

US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump along with Argentine President Javier Milei were among the leaders who arrived Friday.

Among the other foreign dignitaries confirmed for the papal funeral are Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and first lady Olena Zelenska, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Prince William, Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, Hungarian President Viktor Orban and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

The Vatican said 130 delegations are confirmed, including 50 heads of state and 10 reigning sovereigns.

See the list of all the world leaders set to attend ​here​.