Pope Francis funeral as it happened: Head of Catholic Church laid to rest in private burial; Trump and Zelensky pictured meeting at St Peter’s Basilica

Bells rang out across Rome today for the funeral of Pope Francis.

Here’s what has already happened, and also what to expect in the coming days and weeks as the Catholic Church prepares to welcome a new pope.

The dean of the College of Cardinals Giovanni Battista Re blesses the coffin.Credit: AP

• Some 250,000 people including dignitaries from 160 countries gathered in St Peter’s Square this morning, Roman time, to witness the funeral mass of Pope Francis.
• Before the funeral Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had a one-on-one meeting with US President Donald Trump, which Zelensky later said had the “potential to become historic”.
• The funeral service, led by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, included prayers from the Eastern Churches, readings in several languages, and a homily highlighting the Pope’s desire for peace.
• The Pope’s coffin was carried in a modified popemobile through the streets of Rome were an estimated 300,000 people had gathered, to Basilica of Saint Mary Major. The Pope was interred in a private ceremony at the basilica.
• The nine-day mourning period of novemdiales has also begun, during which daily masses will be held for the Pope.
• At the end of the mourning period, the conclave to decide the next pope can begin. An exact date for the beginning of that conclave with some 133 cardinals will be announced some time after today.

And that is it for our live coverage of the funeral of Pope Francis.

Hundreds of thousands of mourners from around the world gathered in Rome and the Vatican on Saturday to watch the proceedings and pay their final respects to the Pope.

Ahead of the funeral, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had a one-on-one meeting with US President Donald Trump, which Zelensky later said had the “potential to become historic”.

Trump also met with European Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen.

The Pope’s coffin is carried to the altar during the funeral ceremony.Credit: Flavio Brancaleone

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re led the funeral service, delivering a poignant and at times pointed homily to the much-loved Pope, describing Francis as a “pope among the people, with an open heart towards everyone”.

The Pope’s coffin was then slowly driven through the streets of Rome, past the Colosseum, to his final resting place at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major.

His formal farewell is over, but Saturday also marks the start of nine days of mourning – before the conclave of cardinals can meet to choose his successor.

While the Pope’s burial at St Mary Major Basilica was private on Saturday, mourners will be able to visit his final resting place when the church reopens to the public on Sunday.

Pope Francis chose to be buried in a simple tomb in a basilica that held special meaning for him, and is the first pope to be buried outside the Vatican in more than 120 years.

Read more about why Pope Francis chose St Mary Major here.

The coffin of Pope Francis being carried into St Mary Major Basilica in Rome.Credit: AP

Vatican City: By the time the bells tolled, 250,000 mourners had filled the square, spilling into Vatican City’s streets. Enclosed by Bernini’s colonnades, the scene was a blend of sacred and human – spontaneous applause met solemn silence, smartphones raised alongside prayer cards.

Hundreds of clergy in flowing vestments moved like a river of colour through the square, their garments catching the morning light – crimson, gold, and white against ancient stone.

It was a farewell steeped in reverence and gratitude – a final journey through the Eternal City that bore witness not just to the end of a papacy, but to the enduring imprint of a pope who chose simplicity, humility, and closeness to the people until the very end.

Members of the clergy attend the funeral of Pope Francis in St Peter’s Square.Credit: Getty Images

Read more here.

The US President seemed to defy the official dress code for dignitaries at the funeral for Pope Francis.

The Vatican had stipulated that women should wear modest black dresses and a headscarf or veil, while men should wear a dark suit with a white shirt and black tie.

Donald Trump stood out in a navy suit and blue tie.Credit: AP

While Trump’s suit was dark, it was blue instead of the black adopted but most dignitaries, and he chose a lighter blue tie.

First lady Melania, who is Catholic, strictly adhered to the dress code, wearing a black lace veil and matching gloves, and a

Trump considers himself a “nondenominational Christian.” The couple paid respects to the late pope in front of his wooden coffin.

With AP

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also met US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the funeral for Pope Francis, and the pair agreed to hold a formal meeting.

Von der Leyen shared photos of herself greeting former Indonesian President Joko Widodo and French President Emmanuel Macron, alongside a photograph of her shaking hands with Trump while first lady Melania Trump looks on.

“Today, leaders from around the world gathered to pay their final tribute to His Holiness Pope Francis,” she wrote on X.

“I had good exchanges with several of them.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pictured at the Pope’s funeral, speaking with French President Emmanuel Macron.Credit: Getty Images

EU Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho said during that brief meeting, Trump and von der Leyen agreed to hold a meeting.

It would be their first meeting since Trump’s inauguration and his tariff wars, during which he raised tariffs on EU goods to 20 per cent before reducing them to 10 per cent for 90 days.

On Friday, EU Economic Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said a zero-tariff offer from the bloc had been met with only moderate US interest, and that a lot more work was needed to reach a deal.

The “Asian Francis”. The Pope John lookalike. Or the 76-year-old Ghanaian climate change adviser?

With the burial of Pope Francis and the commencement of the nine-day mourning period – the Novemdiales – attention will turn towards the upcoming conclave and the election of the next pope.

Cardinals lining the way between St Peter’s Basilica and the altar. They will decide the next pope in the conclave.Credit: Flavio Brancaleone

Conclaves, famously secretive and difficult to predict, are tasked with bringing together the world’s eligible cardinals to vote at the Sistine Chapel, before the iconic puff of white smoke emerges to tell us they’ve made their choice.

The conclave should commence in a bit over a week’s time. So who will it be?

Check out some of the leading contenders, here.

At the end of the novamdiales – the nine-day mourning period for Pope Francis which began today – the world’s eligible cardinals will gather for the conclave.

The conclave is a meeting which only occurs to decide a new pope, and must begin between 15 and 20 days after the death of the last pope. An exact date for the conclave will be chosen soon, now the funeral is over.

In the coming days, the cardinals will meet to decide who should be the new pope.Credit: Getty Images

During the conclave, cardinals of voting age (that is, those under the age of 80) will gather under Michelangelo’s famous fresco in the Sistine Chapel and will be locked up to discuss and nominate a new pope.

More than 130 cardinals are expected to attend, and during the conclave they are forbidden from interacting with anyone outside the meeting until a pope is selected.

A new pope is selected from among the voting cardinals, and while their choice is meant to be inspired by the Holy Spirit, it also involves political allegiances and discussions.

Read more about the conclave and its politics here.

Bells rang out across Rome today for the funeral of Pope Francis.

Here’s what has already happened, and also what to expect in the coming days and weeks as the Catholic Church prepares to welcome a new pope.

The dean of the College of Cardinals Giovanni Battista Re blesses the coffin.Credit: AP

• Some 250,000 people including dignitaries from 160 countries gathered in St Peter’s Square this morning, Roman time, to witness the funeral mass of Pope Francis.
• Before the funeral Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had a one-on-one meeting with US President Donald Trump, which Zelensky later said had the “potential to become historic”.
• The funeral service, led by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, included prayers from the Eastern Churches, readings in several languages, and a homily highlighting the Pope’s desire for peace.
• The Pope’s coffin was carried in a modified popemobile through the streets of Rome were an estimated 300,000 people had gathered, to Basilica of Saint Mary Major. The Pope was interred in a private ceremony at the basilica.
• The nine-day mourning period of novemdiales has also begun, during which daily masses will be held for the Pope.
• At the end of the mourning period, the conclave to decide the next pope can begin. An exact date for the beginning of that conclave with some 133 cardinals will be announced some time after today.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re remembered Pope Francis as a pope of the people, a pastor who knew how to communicate to the “least among us” with an informal, spontaneous style.

Watch the full homily here:

US President Donald Trump has already left Rome, following the funeral of Pope Francis.

Images show the president waving farewell as he climbs aboard Air Force One at Leonardo da Vinci Airport.

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump wave before they board Air Force One at Leonardo da Vinci International Airport following the funeral.Credit: AP