Security was heightened at the Vatican for the funeral of Pope Francis, with surveillance drones deployed around St. Peter’s Square and thousands of police and security personnel on duty.
Over 50 heads of state and dignitaries traveled to Rome to pay their respects. Among the early visitors to the Basilica were Argentina’s President Javier Milei, Britain’s Prince William, and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, who reportedly met briefly with former U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines.
The funeral is also being attended by former U.S. President Joe Biden, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Lebanon’s Joseph Aoun. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Britain’s Sir Keir Starmer, and more than a dozen members of the British royal family are also present.
Malta is represented by a significant delegation including President Myriam Spiteri Debono, Prime Minister Robert Abela, Opposition Leader Bernard Grech and their spouses, alongside Archbishop Charles Scicluna. European Parliament President and Maltese MEP Roberta Metsola is also attending. They are joined by hundreds of Maltese youths and clergy who originally travelled to Rome for the canonisation of Carlo Acutis. Their pilgrimage has since transformed into a heartfelt farewell to Pope Francis.
Around 200,000 mourners gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the funeral, following days of public viewing.
Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, led the funeral homily, paying tribute to Pope Francis’ pastoral leadership and enduring legacy.
“He established direct contact with the people with eagerness to be close to everyone, paying special attention to those in difficulty, particularly the marginalised and the least among us,” said Cardinal Battista Re.
He described Francis as “a pope with a heart among the people, with an openness to all and a keen awareness of the signs of the times.”
Pope Francis had requested to be buried at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, one of his favourite churches in Rome, becoming the first Pope in more than a century to be laid to rest outside the Vatican walls. His coffin, placed in a simple wooden casket, will be taken through Rome’s Fori Imperiali before reaching the basilica, where it will be greeted by a group of the “poor and needy.”
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