Pope Francis funeral: Catholic faithful farewell ‘People’s Pope’

As the sun shone down on a cool day in St Peter’s Square, 250,000 people came out to farewell the pontiff. See the photos.

There was ceremonial fanfare and a high profile VIP guestlist, but it was the genuine love from the common people at Pope Francis’s funeral that would have pleased a man who valued the ordinary and marginalised, over the rich and powerful.

As the sun shone down on a cool day in St Peter’s Square in Rome on Saturday, 250,000 came out to farewell the ‘People’s Pope’, whose humility and humble approach arguably made him more popular than any pontiff before him.

Some had slept on the streets to ensure they got a spot, others got up in the early hours and queued calmly. Once in the square, children could be heard singing hymns, others played cards, or napped on the shoulders of their neighbours.

As the funeral started people were seen kneeling, some weeping, others held aloft photos of the pope, or signs they had made with personal messages of their love for him.

France's President Emmanuel Macron, Finland President Alexander Stubb, US President Donald Trump, US First Lady Melania Trump, Estonian President Alar Karis, King Felipe VI of Spain, Queen Letizia of Spain, Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa, His Highness Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince and President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Khaled Bin Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Queen Mary Of Denmark attend the funeral of Pope Francis. Picture: Getty Images

Among them were the Catholic faithful, the every man who had grown to love Francis whatever their beliefs, and tourists who took the opportunity to experience a moment in history.

AUSSIES TURN OUT IN DROVES TO HONOUR FRANCIS

The Australian mourners included a group of pilgrims from Catholic schools in Cairns, who had travelled to Rome to take part in the Easter services and saw the pope on Easter Sunday, the day before he died.

The group of 15, aged from 10 to 60, headed to the square at 2am to get their place for the 10am funeral start (6pm AEST).

Group leader Rachel McLean, 49, from the Catholic Education Diocese of Cairns, carried the Australian and Aboriginal flags on poles, said being at the pope’s funeral was not an option but an obligation “to honour history” and the man.

Rachel McLean, 49, and Helena Tutoe, 43, both from Cairns queued for hours to attend Pope Francis's funeral. Picture: Sophie Elsworth

An emotional Ms McLean said the whole experience had been “profound”.

“Without being cliched, it’s a breath catching moment in time,” she said.

For her, what made Pope Francis so special was that he was happy to get “his shoes dirty, break bread with anyone on his journey, open his heart and not be closed”.

“He gave us an opportunity to be a better version of ourselves whether we were Catholic, Hindu, Anglican or atheist,” Ms McLean said.

The group, who saw the pontiff lying in state, earlier in the week remarked how he looked “so small”.

“He was all about doing away with the big stuff,” Ms McLean said. “In a space that was so grand he looked so small, so human.”

Cairns Bishop Joe Caddy met Pope Francis at the Vatican in September 2024. Photo: Supplied

Bishop of Cairns, Joe Caddy, who met the pontiff twice last year, and praised him for being a champion of the poor, flew out and joined the group on Thursday. He was due to play a role in the funeral mass.

American Kevin Fang, 55, held a sign with a message praising the pope during the funeral mass. “Today is important because we celebrate Pope Francis’s life and legacy and mercy,” he said.

In an official capacity, Australia sent four representatives to Pope Francis’s funeral, including Governor-General Sam Mostyn.

The federal election campaign prevented Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton from attending, but Labor’s trade minister, Senator Don Farrell and Nationals MP and former deputy prime minister Michael McCormack filled in instead.

Ambassador to the Holy See, Keith Pitt was also at the service in Rome.

Ms Mostyn, who travelled to the Vatican from Anzac Day commemorations in Turkey on Friday, told this masthead: “It is a privilege to represent all Australians, particularly those of the Catholic faith, at the funeral of His Holiness Pope Francis.

FAITHFUL TRAVEL FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE

Ben Moriuchi, 18, from London, said he was on a tour with his school, St Dominic’s and said it was “incredible” to be at the funeral of Francis.

“We got here at 4.30am for the queues, it’s unlike anything I’ve ever been to before but I did go to Queen Elizabeth lying in state, I saw the queues in London,” he said.

“There’s 1.4 billion Catholics versus 60 million Brits so it’s a different scale but it does feel very similar.”

British student Ben Moriuchi, 18, from London, said the funeral of Pope Francis reminds him of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth with the very large crowds. Picture: Sophie Elsworth

The pope’s views on climate change and his acceptance of all people, whatever their faith or sexual identity, helped attract younger pilgrims, including Francisa Meirceles and Enia Alves, both 17, from Portugal, who had come to Rome this week because Pope Francis “was different from other popes”.

Portuguese students Enia Alves, 17 and Francisca Meirceles, 17, both visited Vatican City to pay their respects to the late Pope Francis. Picture: Sophie Elsworth

Josie Gallagher, 70, from Canada, on holiday in Italy visiting her sister, said the pontiff “was for the people”. “With the change, we just hope the new pope is as nice as Pope Francis,” she said.

Josie Gallagher, 70, from Canada, was visiting her sister in Rome when the Pope died. She said he meant a lot to her during time as leader of the church. Picture: Sophie Elsworth

After the mass, crowds clapped, waved and filmed the popemobile carrying the pontiff’s coffin, as it wound its way past iconic sites like the Colosseum, to its final resting place at the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica.

If the pope’s popularity was measured by merch sales, Francis would be up there, even if it would have jarred with his sensibilities.

Retail assistant Michelle Eleazar, 26, from Galleria Mariana opposite St Peter’s Square said business had been frantic since Easter Sunday.

“The stock has been selling out, rosary beads, cards and prayers, most people want rosary beads,” she said. “They’ve been wanting magnets of Pope Francis to take them home for their family and friends, it’s a small shop and we’ve been selling out of everything.”