Pope Francis funeral updates: Pontiff buried in Santa Maria Maggiore basilica, Vatican says

Pallbearers lift the coffin of Pope Francis, during his funeral Mass, at St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, April 26, 2025. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

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.

Several 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.