‘He touched minds and hearts’: Pope Francis farewelled in front of 250,000

Mourners were told of Pope’s call to ‘build bridges, not walls’ as Trump and Zelensky met inside St Peter’s Basilica.

As a simple wooden zinc lined casket with the Book of Gospels was placed on top of a red platform, large swathes of the quarter of a million people who had come to farewell Pope Francis wiped away tears and said emotional goodbyes at St Peter’s Square.

Francis, who died on Easter Monday aged 88, was given a touching two hour funeral mass led by the 91-year-old dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re – a service Francis had signed off more than a year ago before he became unwell earlier this year, and his sudden death to a stroke and heart failure.

Cardinal Re hailed Francis as a “a Pope among the people, with an open heart towards everyone”. He urged everyone to follow Francis’ lead and “build bridges, not walls’’.

Nuns wiped away tears, priests clasped hands and looked skywards, and the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims were solemn and attentive during the service, but particularly so during a deeply sombre moment when the Pontiff’s casket was taken away back inside St Peter’s Basilica before starting its 7km procession to his final resting place at Saint Mary Major.

Italian cardinal Giovanni Battista Re blessing the coffin of late Pope Francis. Picture: AFP

More than 200 cardinals including Australia’s Mykola Bychok, resplendent in their red chasubles and mitres, bowed their heads in silent prayer before filing back into St Peter’s Basilica to form a guard of honour.

All the while a spontaneous wave of applause rippled across the square and mourners waved flags and huge banners saying “Grazie, Francis”.

The Pope had asked that his tomb should be underground at Saint Mary Major and asked that it only bear the simple inscription: Franciscus.

His choice of the fifth century church which houses seven Popes, the last being Clement IX in 1669, was particularly personal: he used to visit the Basilica often to pray before the Virgin Mary icon Maria Salus Populi Romani.

In his last wishes Francis asked: “May the Lord grant a fitting reward to all those who have loved me and who continue to pray for me. The suffering that has marked the final part of my life, I offer to the Lord, for peace in the world and for fraternity among peoples.’

Cardinal Re said in his homily that the Pope had insisted the Catholic Church should be a home for all with its doors always open.

Faithful react during late Pope Francis' funeral ceremony, in central Rome. Picture: AFP

He said Francis was motivated by the conviction that the Church was “capable of bending down to every person, regardless of their beliefs or condition, and healing their wounds”.

Cardinal Re said Francis “incessantly raised his voice, imploring peace”, while calling for reason and honest negotiation in global conflicts.

He added: “The outpouring of affection that we have witnessed in recent days following his passing from this earth into eternity tells us how much the profound pontificate of Pope Francis touched minds and hearts.”

Following the sermon, prayers were said in Arabic, Spanish, Polish, German, Chinese and Italian and Cardinal Re invited mourners to join together in the Communion Rite. He also asked people to show a sign of peace by shaking hands with those around them.

US president Donald Trump reached across and shook hands with French president Emmanuel Macron as well as the president of Poland, Andrzej Duda.

The funeral of Pope Francis in St Peter's Square. Picture: AP

Vatican officials said the earlier expectations of 200,000 mourners, had been surpassed well before the 10am start, and streets surrounding the ancient Vatican walls were packed with people unable to gain access, but content to view proceedings on large screens and in Italian bistros, all tuned to the television broadcast of the event.

Others lined the route from St Peter’s Square to St Mary Major to witness the Pope’s final trip in the vehicle he knew so well, the Popemobile.

He was last seen in public in the Popemobile on Easter Sunday, blessing children as he wheeled around the square after Easter mass.

Cairn’s visitor, Helena Tutor, 43, flying an Australian flag, had set off from her accommodation outside of the Italian capital at 1am, arriving at dawn to secure a place at St Peter’s Square with colleagues for the farewell.

“I just wanted to be here for such a momentous event,’’ she said.

Pope Francis' coffin passes in front of the Colosseum on its way to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. Picture: Getty Images

Other Australians in the crowd included WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, his wife Stella and their two children.

“Now Julian is free, we have all come to Rome to express our family’s gratitude for the Pope’s support during Julian’s persecution,” Stella posted.

“Our children and I had the honour of meeting Pope Francis in June 2023 to discuss how to free Julian from Belmarsh prison. Francis wrote to Julian in prison and even proposed to grant him asylum at the Vatican.”

"Now Julian is free, we have all come to Rome to express our family’s gratitude for the Pope’s support during Julian’s persecution. Our children and I had the honor of meeting Pope Francis in June 2023 to discuss how to free Julian from Belmarsh prison. Francis wrote to Julian in… pic.twitter.com/1B4iNp31Is

— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) April 26, 2025

Ahead of the service there was a flurry of movement, as nuns and priests rushed to secure a spot at the front; other scenes included groups of schoolchildren eating breakfast, with some lying on the cobblestones pretending to have a nap, and security officials guiding the crowds into penned areas. Tens of thousands of people craned to see the huge screens lining the main boulevard, Via della Conciliazione, which leads directly into St Peter’s Square.

Near to the security checkpoints, huge crowds of people were ushered through so that they were in place for the start of the funeral at 10am.

Behind the scenes Mr Trump met with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky “for a productive meeting”, the White House confirmed.

Both were also offered the privilege, along with Prince William and Sir Keir Starmer, of paying their final respects to Pope Francis, having being granted access inside St Peter’s Basilica to view the Pope’s closed casket before it was moved outside.

Volodymyr Zelensky meets with Donald Trump on the sidelines of Pope Francis's funeral at St. Peter's Basilica

Vatican officials also made prime seats available for both Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky, as well as French president Emmanuel Macron, were given front row seats in the presidential section. Twelve reigning monarchs and more than 150 heads of state and VIP’s attended the ceremony.

When the bells began tolling across the square some fifteen minutes before the start, the hubbub of the morning quickly descended into a quiet and moving reverie. Fourteen white-gloved pallbearers carried the coffin, inlaid with a large cross to the square.

Prayers then set a sombre tone: “O God, immortal shepherd of souls, look on your people’s prayers and grant that your servant Pope Francis, who presided over your church in charity, may, with the flock entrusted to his care, receive from your mercy the reward of a faithful steward.’’