Pope Francis laid to rest at St. Mary Major Basilica

Pope Francis was laid to rest at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major on Saturday, April 26, 2025, after a funeral Mass at the Vatican attended by hundreds of thousands of mourners and world leaders including United States President Donald Trump.

Francis, who died Monday aged 88, was remembered as a “pope among the people” who sought to “build bridges, not walls” in a funeral homily at St. Peter’s Square.

An estimated 400,000 people packed the square and lined the streets of Rome to say goodbye to the Argentinian pontiff, a champion of the poor who had led the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics since 2013.

Trump held talks with his Ukrainian counterpart on the sidelines of the funeral, which Volodymyr Zelensky described as positive, with “potential to become historic”.

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The papal funeral marks the first of nine days of mourning for Catholics across the world.

Another Mass of mourning will be held in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, April 27. That will be led by Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who is often viewed as a leading papal contender, AFP reported.

In coming days, the Vatican will announce the date for the start of the conclave that will choose Francis’ successor. This secret meeting of cardinals is unlikely to be before May 5 or 6.

The Star