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Pope Francis funeral updates: Pontiff buried in Santa Maria Maggiore basilica, Vatican says
Pope Francis's funeral news updates: The Vatican has said that 250,000 people are attending the funeral of Pope Francis at the St Peter's Square.
- 5:10 AM IST, Apr 26What happens when?
- 5:01 AM IST, Apr 26Attendees list from Americas
- 5:00 AM IST, Apr 26Who all from Asia-pacific countries are attending the last rites?
- 4:44 AM IST, Apr 26Where are the last rites taking place?
- 4:34 AM IST, Apr 26Last rites to begin at around 10 am
Pope Francis funeral updates: The funeral of Pope Francis, the Argentinian pontiff who led the Roman Catholic Church for nearly 12 years, began at Rome's St Peter's Basilica on Saturday. The pontiff passed away on Monday at the age of 88 years. Among the attendees seen at the last rites are Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen. Pope Francis was be laid to rest in Rome's Santa Maria Maggiore basilica.
...Read MoreSeveral leaders from across the world, including Indian President Droupadi Murmu and US President Donald Trump arrived in Rome to attend the funeral and paid their last respects to the pontiff.
Pope Francis funeral: Pope Francis' funeral began at 10 am local time (around 1:30 pm IST) on Saturday morning. His coffin will be taken out of St Peter's Basilica to the public square. Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re will preside over the funeral mass, while also being joined by 220 cardinals, 750 bishops and priests near the altar, and over 4,000 priests in the square.
The funeral mass was over by 11:45 am local time (around 3:15 pm IST), following which the Pope's coffin was taken for burial. Pope Francis will be buried privately, and his tomb will be open to the public from Sunday morning, the Vatican said.
Pope Francis funeral | Top points
- Pope Francis was laid to rest at Santa Maria Maggiore basilica in Rome on Saturday morning. His burial was preceded by around a 2-hours-long funeral mass.
- The pontiff's wooden and zinc coffin, which was sealed on Friday evening, was placed in front of the basilica before a temporary raised altar.
- The funeral mass began with a reading of liturgical texts, followed by a homily by Cardinal Re, a universal prayer in several languages, the consecration of the bread and wine, participants exchanging a sign of peace or handshake, the Eucharist, a moment of silence, and lastly the sprinkling of holy water on the coffin.
- Several dignitaries were in attendance at the Pope's funeral, including Indian President Droupadi Murmu, US President Donald Trump, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Argentinian President Javier Milei, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, among other big names.
Pope Francis funeral news live: Which Middle-East leaders will attend the funeral?
Among the attendees at Pope Francis' funeral, will be leaders from the Middle-East. They are:
IRAN: Culture Minister Abbas Salehi, representing President Masoud Pezeshkian
ISRAEL: Yaron Sideman, Ambassador to the Holy See
JORDAN: King Abdullah II and Queen Rania
LEBANON: President Joseph Aoun
PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY: Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa
QATAR: Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi
Pope Francis funeral news live: Guest list from European countries
Following are the dignitaries from European countries, who will be in attendance at the Pope Francis' funeral:
ALBANIA: President Bajram Begaj
ANDORRA: Co-Prince Joan-Enric Vives Sicilia
ARMENIA: President Vahagn Khachaturyan
AUSTRIA: President Alexander Van der Bellen, Chancellor Christian Stocker
BELGIUM: King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, with Prime Minister Bart De Wever
BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA: President Zelika Cvijanovic
BULGARIA: Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov
CROATIA: President Zoran Milanovic, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic
CYPRUS: President Nikos Christodoulides
CZECH REPUBLIC: Prime Minister Petr Fiala
DENMARK: Queen Mary
ESTONIA: President Alar Karis
EUROPEAN UNION: European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, European Council president Antonio Costa
FINLAND: President Alexander Stubb
FRANCE: President Emmanuel Macron
GEORGIA: President Mikheil Kavelashvili
GERMANY: President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz
GREECE: Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis
HUNGARY: President Tamas Sulyok and Prime Minister Viktor Orban
ICELAND: President Halla Tomasdottir
IRELAND: President Michael Higgins and Taoiseach (prime minister) Micheal Martin
ITALY: President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni
KOSOVO: President Vjosa Osmani
LATVIA: President Edgars Rinkevics
LIECHTENSTEIN: Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie
LITHUANIA: President Gitanas Nauseda
LUXEMBOURG: Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, Prime Minister Luc Frieden
MALTA: President Myriam Spiteri Debono
MOLDOVA: President Maia Sandu
MONACO: Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene
MONTENEGRO: President Jakov Milatovic
NETHERLANDS: Prime Minister Dick Schoof
NORTH MACEDONIA: President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova
NORWAY: Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide
POLAND: President Andrzej Duda
PORTUGAL: President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Prime Minister Luis Montenegro
ROMANIA: Interim president Ilie Bolojan
RUSSIA: Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova
SERBIA: Prime Minister Djuro Macut
SLOVAKIA: President Peter Pellegrini
SLOVENIA: President Natasa Pirc Musar and Prime Minister Robert Golob
SPAIN: King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia
SWEDEN: King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, as well as Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson
SWITZERLAND: President Karin Keller-Sutter
UKRAINE: President Volodymyr Zelensky
UNITED KINGDOM: Prince William representing King Charles III, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer
Pope Francis funeral news live: Donald Trump to attend last rite | Guest list from Americas
Here's a list of attendees from Americas:
ARGENTINA: President Javier Milei
BELIZE: Governor-General Froyla Tzalam
BRAZIL: President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
CANADA: Governor General Mary Simon
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: President Luis Abinader
ECUADOR: President Daniel Noboa Azin
HONDURAS: President Xiomara Castro
UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
UNITED STATES: President Donald Trump. Former president Joe Biden
Pope Francis funeral news live: Who all from Asia-pacific countries are attending the last rites?
Here's a list of attendees from Asia-Pacific countries:
INDIA: President Droupadi Murmu
BANGLADESH: Interim leader Muhammad Yunus
NEW ZEALAND: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon
PHILIPPINES: President Ferdinand Marcos
INDONESIA: Former president Joko Widodo
EAST TIMOR: President Jose Ramos Horta
AUSTRALIA: Governor-General Sam Mostyn
Pope Francis funeral news live: Pontiff's coffin closed for public viewing
The public access to viewing Pope Francis one last time was closed on Friday. His wooden and zinc coffin was also sealed on that very evening in a private ceremony called the Rite of the Sealing of the Coffin at St Peter's Basilica.
Pope Francis funeral news live: About the Santa Maria Maggiore basilica
The Santa Maria Maggiore basilica will be the Pope Francis' final resting place. It is a fifth-century church located in the centre of Rome and already holds the tombs of seven popes.
Notably, the pontiff, who was devoted to the worship of the Virgin Mary, used to pray in Santa Maria Maggiore before leaving for trips abroad and upon his return to Rome.
The basilica, one of the four papal basilicas in Rome, holds the remains of several other renowned figures, such as the architect and sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini, who designed St Peter's Square and its surrounding columns.
The interior of Santa Maria Maggiore remains close to its origin, an AFP report said. The basilica holds some of the Church's most important relics, including an icon of the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus, attributed to Saint Luke. It also holds pieces of wood believed to have been from Jesus' crib.
Pope Francis funeral news live: Where are the last rites taking place?
The last rites of the Pope Francis is taking place in Rome. The pontiff's coffin will be taken out of St Peter's Basilica and buried at Santa Maria Maggiore basilica.
Pope Francis funeral news live: Last rites to begin at around 10 am
The funeral of Pope Francis will begin at 10 am local time (around 1:30 pm IST). His coffin will be taken out of St Peter's Basilica to the public square and then a funeral mass will take place. Following this, the pontiff's coffin will be buried at the Santa Maria Maggiore basilica.
