The funeral of Pope Francis — the world’s first Argentinean pontiff — was held in Rome early Saturday as Catholics around the globe gathered to pay their respects.
Francis died Monday at the age of 88 from a stroke — a complication of chronic lung disease, which had plagued the pope for months. His death now sets off the tradition of finding a new Vatican leader through the tradition known as a conclave.
Scores of world leaders attended the memorial service in St. Peter’s Square, from President Trump and former President Biden to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to French President Emmanuel Macron, among others.
The pontiff spent his final days celebrating Holy Week, the seven days leading up to Easter Sunday. Vice President Vance, who is not expected to attend the memorial service, met with the pope at the Vatican just hours before his death.
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re presided over the service and delivered the eulogy.
Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also met in Vatican City ahead of the funeral, as talks to end the war in Eastern Europe continue, according to the White House.
The procession began around 10 a.m. local time — or 4 a.m. EDT.
Read below.
5 takeaways from the pope’s funeral
President Trump and other world leaders gathered in Rome on Saturday to honor the life of Pope Francis.
The pope, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina in 1936, had a sharp political edge and close relationship with many leaders throughout his 12 years as the head of the Catholic Church.
His funeral came at a pivotal time for Trump to be face-to-face with other heads of state, while his administration works to negotiate deals with trading partners on tariffs and he has urged for an end to the war in Ukraine.
Here are five takeaways from the Pope’s funeral.
Trump, EU president agree to formal meeting
President Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met briefly during their trip to Rome for Pope Francis’s funeral, an EU spokesperson confirmed to NewsNation.
The “brief exchange,” comes as Trump’s latest tariff agenda has roiled global trade. While most of the reciprocal import taxes are currently on pause, the Trump administration has opened the door for negotiations.
During their interaction, the two leaders agreed to a formal meeting.
“No further details available at this stage,” the spokesperson said.
– NewsNation’s Kevin Bohn
Zelensky bids farewell to the pontiff
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky paid his respects to the late Pope Francis on Saturday.
“Farewell to Pope Francis and a special Mass at St. Peter’s Square. The unity of people from all parts of the world,” he wrote on social platform X. “Gratitude to Pope Francis. Prayers that strengthen and inspire hope. May the Lord hear every sincere heart today!”
His remarks came after the Ukrainian leader met in Vatican City with President Trump.
More Trump, Zelensky meeting details emerge
President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met for roughly 15 minutes at St. Peter’s Basilica ahead of the pope’s funeral, per Ukrainian officials.
It was their first face-to-face interaction since a contentious Oval Office spat earlier this year.
Trump has pressured Zelensky in recent days to sign onto a proposed mineral agreement and accept that some land may need to be ceded to Russia to find a lasting peace deal.
Trump departs for airport
President Trump and the first lady headed to the airport around 12:20 p.m. local time, or 7:20 a.m. EDT.
Bells could be heard from St. Peter’s Basilica as he departed, per the White House pool.
The flight back to the U.S. is about 10 hours.
The president is expected to spend the weekend at his golf club in Bedminster, N.J.
Trump’s Rome posse: Wiles, Scavino, Waltz
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino and national security adviser Mike Waltz also attended Francis’s funeral alongside President Trump.
The White House pool noted they were seven rows behind the president and the first lady.
Assange spotted near Francis’s funeral
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was spotted at the Vatican for Pope Francis’s funeral.
Assange pleaded guilty earlier this year to one felony count under the Espionage Act for his role in publishing classified military information. His plea deal with the Justice Department brought an end to the yearslong legal drama and secured his freedom.
Pope’s coffin arrives at St. Mary Majors Basilica
A group of marginalized people met the popemobile at St. Mary Major Basilica to pay their respects as Francis is expected to be laid to rest in a private ceremony later Saturday.
The move kept in line with the late pontiff’s embrace of the less fortunate.
Per The Associated Press, “The tomb is being prepared behind a wooden barrier within the basilica that he chose to be near an icon of the Madonna that he revered and often prayed before.”
The tombstone, according to photos released by the Vatican, is engraved with “Franciscus,” which he requested in his last testament, per the news wire.
Francis coffin traveling by popemobile
Crowds applauded and yelled “Papa Francesco!” as the modified popemobile left the Vatican with Francis’s coffin.
The procession will make its way across Rome.
More clapping and church bells rang out as the motorcade emerged from a tunnel and crossed the Tiber River.
– The Associated Press
UK’s Keir Starmer, Prince William pay respects
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Prince William also traveled to Rome to pay their respects to the late pontiff.
William attended the funeral on behalf of his father, King Charles III.
“Pope Francis was a pope for the poor, the downtrodden and the forgotten,” Starmer wrote after Francis’s death was announced. “He was close to the realities of human fragility, meeting Christians around the world facing war, famine, persecution and poverty.”
Funeral mass ends
Pope Francis’ funeral Mass ended as cardinals filed back into St. Peter’s Basilica.
The crowd applauded as the pallbearers moved his coffin back inside the basilica. From there, it will be moved to the popemobile and will travel across the city to his burial place in St. Mary Major.
– The Associated Press
More than 200K in attendance, Vatican says
The Vatican shared Saturday that more than 200,000 people from “all walks of life” came to St. Peter’s Square and the area on Saturday to bid farewell to the pope.
After scripture reading, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re gave an account of the pope’s 12 years of ministry.
More here.
Biden, former first lady Jill Biden spotted in Rome
Former President Biden, only the second U.S. leader to be Catholic, traveled to Rome with former first lady Jill Biden to attend the funeral.
“He was unlike any who came before him,” Biden wrote in a post online just hours after the pontiff’s death. “Above all, he was a Pope for everyone. He was the People’s Pope — a light of faith, hope and love.”
The former president met with Francis on numerous occasions after he became the Catholic church’s leader in 2013
Trump, Zelensky meet in Rome
While both in Rome to honor the late Pope Francis, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Trump met privately in Rome, according to the White House.
Communications Director Steven Cheung told poolers that the conversation was “productive” and promised more details later.
Their exchange comes as the U.S. has worked to broker a ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine.
Pope Francis coffin enters church
Francis’s coffin entered the corridor of the church around 10 a.m. local time, or 4 a.m. EDT.
Cardinals were dressed in red.
Trump, first lady arrive at St. Peter’s Square
President Trump and first lady Melania Trump traveled to Rome Saturday to pay their respects to the late Pope Francis.
Hours after his death on Monday, Trump was quick to issue a statement on his Truth Social platform.
“Rest in Peace Pope Francis! May God Bless him and all who loved him!” he wrote.
Trump earlier this week also signed an executive order to direct all federal and state flags to fly at half-staff in commemoration of Francis, whom he called “a good man” who “loved the world.”
Who could be next pope?
The pope must be any baptized man, but the contenders are typically only among the cardinals of the Catholic Church.
Dozens of cardinals are considered contenders, and the decision ultimately depends on the direction church leadership wants to take after Francis’s liberal and trailblazing tenure.
Luis Antonio Tagle from the Philippines, who would be the first Asian pope, is considered a front-runner and has similar progressive views on the church as Francis.
Another historic contender is Peter Turkson from Ghana, who would be the first Black pope in modern times and worked as an adviser to Francis on social justice and climate change issues.
Péter Erdő from Hungary is considered a contender among conservatives in the church, as well as Robert Sarah from Guinea — who would also make history as the first Black pope in modern times.
Contenders who are seen as similar to Francis to continue his progressive legacy include president of the Italian Episcopal Conference, Matteo Zuppi, and Jean-Marc Aveline of France.
Pope Francis’s last week
Pope Francis spent his final days celebrating Holy Week, the seven days leading up to Easter Sunday.
Despite health concerns, Francis made several public appearances over the holiday and called for peace as he commemorated the most sacred time of the Christian calendar.
Though Francis did not preside over the Easter Mass held in St. Peter’s Square piazza on Sunday — it was delegated to Cardinal Angelo Comastri, the retired archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica — he did make a surprise appearance to bless believers.
On Sunday, Francis also met with Vice President Vance, a Catholic convert. The Vatican said the encounter lasted just a few minutes and was designed to allow for an exchange of Easter greetings.
From NewsNation’s Anna Kutz
Pope Francis’s death begins papal succession process
Pope Francis’s death launched the centuries-old Catholic ritual of mourning and selecting a new leader of the church.
He was the last sitting head of the Vatican to die in 20 years, since Pope John Paul II in 2005. Former Pope Benedict, who died in 2022, resigned in 2013, which led to the election of Francis in the conclave.
The process of finding a new pope is wrought with tradition.
Here are five things to know about the papal succession.
Pope Francis dies at 88
Pope Francis, the trailblazing Catholic leader known for his human-rights advocacy and sharp political edge, died Monday, April 21, at the age of 88 at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta after a long series of health complications stemming from a chronic lung disease.
The pontiff had been hospitalized on Feb. 14 with bronchitis, contracted pneumonia four days later and was listed in “critical condition” by the Vatican on Feb. 22. He never fully recovered.
Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina in 1936, broke barriers in the Catholic Church when he became the first leader of Vatican City to hail from the Americas, and the first to represent the Jesuit order, an intellectual wing of the church that prioritizes philanthropy.
He was also the first pope ever to address Congress, visiting Capitol Hill in 2015, when he urged lawmakers of all stripes to set aside their differences for the sake of helping the world’s poor and disadvantaged.