Huge crowds of mourners and dozens of
world leaders attended the funeral of Pope Francis, who died on
Monday aged 88 after 12 years at the helm of the Catholic
Church, in Saint Peter's Square on Saturday.
The Vatican has said 160 delegations attended, including
approximately 50 heads of state and 10 reigning sovereigns.
US President Donald Trump, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky,
Argentine President Javier Milei, the leader of Francis's
homeland, Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Premier
Giorgia Meloni were among them.
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain and King Abdullah II
of Jordan, and many presidents, including Germany's Frank-Walter
Steinmeier; Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva; and France's
Emmanuel Macron, were present too.
The Vatican said around 200,000 people were at the funeral,
according to the information it had from the "competent
authorities" shortly after the service started.
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the Dean of the College of
Cardinals, paid tribute Francis's spirit of sacrifice in his
homily.
"Despite his final fragility and suffering, Pope Francis chose
to walk the path of self-giving until the last day of his
earthly life," Re said as he presided over the funeral.
"He followed in the footsteps of his Lord, the good Shepherd,
who loved his sheep to the point of giving his own life for
them.
"And he did so with strength and serenity, close to his flock,
the Church of God". Francis made an appearance in St Peter's
Square on Easter Sunday, the day before he died on Monday.
"In spiritual union with all of Christendom we are here in great
numbers to pray for Pope Francis so that God may receive him in
the immensity of his love," Re continued.
"Pope Francis used to conclude his speeches and personal
meetings by saying: 'Do not forget to pray for me'.
"Now, dear Pope Francis, we ask you to pray for us and we ask
that from heaven you bless the Church, bless Rome, bless the
entire world, as you did last Sunday from the balcony of this
Basilica in a final embrace with all of God's people, but also
with humanity that seeks the truth with a sincere heart and
holds high the torch of hope".
Re also recalled Pope Francis's commitment to peace, with his
repeated appeals to end all wars, and the emphasis he put on the
plight of migrants and the needy. These passages of the homily
elicited applause from the crowds in St Peter's Square and
outside the Basilica of St Mary Major, where he will be laid to
rest and where a big screen was set up to enable people to
follow the service.
Rome police, meanwhile, said early on Saturday that thousands of
faithful had already taken up positions along the six-kilometre
route of the late pontiff's funeral procession from St Peter's
to Saint Mary Major.
The late pontiff would always go to Saint Mary Major to pray
before and after every apostolic journey he went on and he asked
to buried there, not in St Peter's like most other popes, in his
testament.
Around 250,000 people queued for hours to pay homage to the late
Argentine pontiff during the lying in state of his remains
between Wednesday and Friday in St Peter's Basilica.
Meloni was among the officials to pay their respects on
Wednesday.
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