World Leaders and Thousands Mourn Pope Francis at His Funeral
Huge crowds of mourners and dozens of world leaders gathered in Saint Peter's Square on Saturday for the funeral of Pope Francis, who died on Monday at the age of 88 after 12 years at the helm of the Catholic Church. The Vatican reported that 140 delegations were attending, including approximately 50 heads of state and 10 reigning sovereigns. Among the notable attendees were US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Around 250,000 people queued for hours to pay homage to the late Argentine pontiff during the lying in state of his remains from Wednesday to Friday in St. Peter's Basilica, with a similar number expected to attend the funeral. Shortly after 9 AM local time, Rome police reported that 140,000 people were already in the area surrounding St. Peter's for the funeral, which commenced at 10 AM.
Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni was among the officials who paid their respects on Wednesday. Following the funeral, the remains of the late pontiff will be laid to rest in Rome's Saint Mary Major Basilica—his requested burial site, as he had asked not to be interred in St. Peter's like most other popes, choosing instead to be buried in a place of personal significance where he would pray before and after every apostolic journey.
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