Pope Francis funeral updates: Leaders, mourners bid farewell to pontiff

Thank for you joining our live coverage of Pope Francis’s funeral.

You can read our up-to-date news story here.

And you can check out our photo gallery with some of the most striking images of this historic day here.

In a new statement, the Vatican has said the coffin of Pope Francis was transferred to Santa Maria Maggiore for internment.

We’ll be closing this live page soon, so let’s bring you up to speed with today’s main developments:

• The funeral of Pope Francis has taken place at St Peter’s Square in the Vatican.
• The late pontiff wanted to build bridges, not walls, presiding Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re said during the funeral homily.
• The nearly three-hour-long ceremony was attended by world leaders and hundreds of thousands of mourners.
• After its conclusion, Francis’s coffin was driven to a basilica in Rome for burial.
• Along the way, tens of thousands of people lining the streets of the Italian capital erupted into applause as the popemobile with Francis’s coffin drove past.

From some of the world’s most powerful leaders to those on society’s margins whom Pope Francis always made a point to minister to, hundreds of thousands of people gathered at the Vatican for the funeral rites for the late pontiff.

Check out our photo gallery here.

The current group of cardinals aged under 80 who make up the conclave is notably more diverse than previous electors, with a high representation from Asia, Africa and Latin America.

As a result, there is a possibility that, for the first time in centuries, the next pope could come from Africa or Asia, or another region traditionally underrepresented in the church’s leadership.

• Among the African cardinals being discussed are Ghana’s Peter Turkson, the former head of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Fridolin Ambongo, archbishop of Kinshasa. Both are committed conservatives who have been vocal advocates for peace in their respective countries.
• Another strong contender is Philippine Cardinal Luis Tagle, the former archbishop of Manila. Like Pope Francis, Tagle emphasises social justice and caring for the poor.
• Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo is seen as a leading conservative candidate and could serve as a bridge to Eastern Christians. The archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, Erdo, is a traditionalist who has championed outreach to Orthodox Christians, stressing the “desperate need” for unity between the churches.
• Also in the mix is Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See’s secretary of state, whose top diplomatic role ensures he is well-known by all cardinals.

After the death of a pope, the Vatican enters a transitional period called the sede vacante or interregnum, where power is handed over to the College of Cardinals, but no important decisions are made until the papacy is filled.

About 15-20 days after the pope’s death, cardinals below the age of 80 convene at the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, which is sealed off, to elect the new pontiff through a secret ballot.

Voting takes place in up to four rounds a day until a candidate wins two-thirds of the vote. If there is no decision after 33 rounds of voting, the top two candidates face-off in a run-off vote.

Ballots are burned, and for every unsuccessful vote, black smoke is released from the Sistine Chapel.

Once the next pope is elected, white smoke emerges from the chapel.

Fiorello Maffei, who lives in London, had returned to Italy for the now postponed canonisation of Carlo Acutis.

He said he and his wife, who is from Paraguay and also a devout Catholic, found the ceremony “very touching” and full of simple words and messages of love that still “carried great weight”.

Maffei said this epitomised Pope Francis who didn’t overcomplicate his messages during communication with people, adding it pleased him that world leaders such as Trump had to listen to these messages of peace.

In a new statement, the Vatican says some 150,000 people lined the streets of the Italian capital to watch Pope Francis’s coffin being driven to his final resting place – in Rome’s Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica.

Here’s the latest information on the talks between Zelenskyy and Trump on the sidelines of the funeral that we’ve been reporting on throughout the day.

In a social media post, the Ukrainian president described the meeting with his US counterpart as “good”.

“Very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results,” Zelenskyy wrote, thanking Trump.

“We discussed a lot one on one. Hoping for results on everything we covered. Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out.”

Good meeting. We discussed a lot one on one. Hoping for results on everything we covered. Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out. Very symbolic meeting that has potential to… pic.twitter.com/q4ZhVXCjw0

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 26, 2025

A number of head of states and dignitaries have paid their respects to the late Pope Francis – watch our video below:

Lebanese American Elie Dib had travelled to Rome with his wife and young son to attend the canonisation of Cardinal Carlo Acutis, which was then postponed due to the pope’s passing.

He said they feel “blessed to be part of the prayer and the funeral service today to pray for his [Pope Francis’s] soul”.

Dib said he was impressed to see people of many different nationalities participating “in one voice of love and prayer”.

His son, Antony, who was sat on his father’s shoulder, said although he was sad the pope had died, he was “still happy that he is going to heaven”.

If you have just joined us, let’s bring you up to speed with today’s developments:

• The coffin of Pope Francis has made its way through Rome to reach Santa Maria Maggiore for a private burial ceremony.
• It arrived at the basilica after an imposing funeral ceremony at St Peter’s Square in the Vatican.
• The Vatican says more than 250,000 people attended the open-air service held under clear blue skies.
• Dozens of foreign dignitaries, including heads of state, were also in attendance.
• Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re eulogised Pope Francis as a pontiff who knew how to communicate with the “least among us” and urged people to build bridges and not walls.
• Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, held a meeting on the sidelines of the funeral amid growing diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire deal in Russia’s war on Ukraine.
  

  

The funeral will be followed by nine days of mourning – this has been part of the tradition for centuries.

Cardinals hold daily masses around Rome and other churches, speaking to the flock. While that happens, lots of politics, lobbying and coalition-forming will also take place.

Most of the cardinals don’t know each other but are now tasked with the mission of electing the new leader of 1.4 million Catholics around the world – it’s like an empire.

That is when the cardinals, who are called the princes of the church, become very wordy. They start dealing and lobbying just like any other politician or leader. There will be rivalry and competition on where and how to steer the church forward – should it go back to a more conservative road?

For example, one of the most “papabile” – a term used in Italian to describe the most likely to be elected as pope – on the conservative side is Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo. He is against giving communion to couples who have divorced, because he believes in the sanctity of marriage.

That is the opposite to what Francis was preaching, which is that the clergy is in no position to have any kind of opinion on anyone and to embrace everyone, regardless of what their sins are.

But there is a conservative current at the Vatican that doesn’t think like this. They believe the Vatican should stick to its century-old tradition of being detached, moralistic, and of trying to always hold the upper ground.

I just spoke to two priests from Benin who had attended the funeral service with clergy from South Africa.

They said that although they felt sad during the ceremony, they are also filled with hope and are grateful for the legacy Pope Francis has left behind.

They said he had preached a message of peace and inclusion and had welcomed migrants and refugees with an “open heart”.

They then watched the popemobile make its way through Rome on the big screens that have been erected around the Vatican for the occasion.