Late Pope Francis Praised Globally for Humility and Peace

Pope Francis was laid to rest on Saturday afternoon in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, following an outpouring of tributes from around the world.

Hundreds of thousands of mourners, ranging from global dignitaries to the poor and marginalised, gathered to pay their final respects to the pontiff, who was celebrated for his profound humility, compassion, and commitment to peace.

The funeral rites reflected the simplicity Pope Francis often championed during his lifetime, while the global breadth of those honouring him underscored the far-reaching impact of his papacy.

READ ALSO: Pope Francis Laid to Rest After Vatican Funeral

The funeral rites for the pope, who passed away earlier this week at the age of 88, were simpler than those of his predecessors, in keeping with his wishes. After a two-hour Requiem Mass held in St Peter’s Square, he was interred in his favourite church in Rome.

 

According to Vatican estimates, around 150,000 people lined the streets of central Rome to witness the funeral procession, which carried his coffin in a modified popemobile. The convoy, flanked by escort vehicles and police motorbikes, travelled past some of Rome’s iconic landmarks, including the Forum and the Colosseum.

Approximately 250,000 mourners attended the funeral service, gathering both in St Peter’s Square and along the surrounding streets.

In total, Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi reported that around 400,000 people took part in the mourning events, according to media outlets.

World leaders and dignitaries were present as Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re officiated the Mass outside St Peter’s Basilica. More than 200 cardinals and roughly 4,000 members of the clergy also participated in the solemn ceremony.

“He touched hearts,” the cardinal said. “Countless were his gestures and exhortations in favour of refugees and displaced persons, and he was also tireless in his commitment to the poor.”

He thanked the mourners for coming and for the global outbreak of sympathy following Francis’s death on Easter Monday.

Before carrying the coffin away from St Peter’s Square, the pallbearers briefly raised it slightly to allow Francis a final look upon Rome, in keeping with Vatican tradition.

Onlookers in the square and surrounding streets applauded as the ceremony came to an end. Many had watched the service on large screens nearby.

Civil defence staff distributed bottles of water near the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, where people stood shoulder to shoulder in the blazing sun.

The late pontiff’s burial was closed to the public.

Francis’s close associates, cardinals and his nurse are among those in attendance, along with some poor and homeless people at the pope’s request.

During the funeral service, he also highlighted Francis’ opposition to violence and conflict.

“In the face of the many wars raging in recent years, with their inhuman atrocities, their countless deaths and their immeasurable destruction, Pope Francis raised his voice incessantly to ask for peace and to call for reason,” the cardinal said.

“After war, the world is always worse off than before. It is always a painful and dramatic defeat for everyone.”

Among the state guests at the funeral service was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as his nation continues to struggle against a full-scale Russian invasion.

Also in attendance was U.S. President Donald Trump, who listened as Re said that Francis had always urged people to build bridges “and not walls.”

The late pope shared people’s fears, suffering and hopes “with great human warmth and deep sensitivity,” the cardinal said.

Numerous international politicians attended the funeral service alongside Zelensky and Trump. Among others, President Javier Milei from Francis’ home country of Argentina, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz paid their respects.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also praised Francis as a bridge-builder after his funeral service. “Pope Francis built bridges,” she wrote on “X, May we walk them.”

Von der Leyen also recalled the pope’s engagement for environmental protection. “He called on us to care for each other and for the Earth we all share,” she wrote.

She said the pope reminded people that “love must reach the margins,” praising his work for the less fortunate.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier echoed her comments on Francis’ care for those on the margins of society. The pope stood for a “church of mercy,” Steinmeier said. “He demanded it, lived it and exemplified it.”

Francis is the first pope not to be interred in St Peter’s Basilica in more than a century, opting instead for the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, which he visited frequently throughout his 12-year papacy.

A document placed in his coffin according to Catholic rites reads: “Francis left everyone an admirable testimony of humanity, holy living and universal fatherhood.”

Francis died at 88 on Easter Monday after suffering a stroke, followed by a coma and heart failure, having in recent weeks battled acute respiratory failure, arterial hypertension and other ailments.

 

 

 

 

NAN/Oluchi