In the square, smartphones were held beside prayer cards. Then came Francis’ final act of quiet rebellion

A simple wooden coffin lined with zinc sat before the altar, a book of the Gospels placed open in the lid. The crowds cheered as 14 white-gloved pallbearers carried it from Saint Peter’s Basilica into the square.

Five days after his death at 88, the world had come to say goodbye to Pope Francis.

The lines stretched back from the gates as first light broke over Via della Conciliazione. Pilgrims with rosary beads, priests in cassocks, and tourists with flags gathered in solemn unity.

From the highlands of Papua New Guinea to Angola’s shores, from Portugal to the Philippines, people from every continent gathered. Even Julian Assange, a secular saint in some circles but the devil reincarnate in others, was there. And with all of them, a less spiritual sight: portaloos.

By the time the bells tolled, 250,000 mourners had filled the square, spilling into Vatican City’s streets. Enclosed by Bernini’s colonnades, the scene was a blend of sacred and human – spontaneous applause met solemn silence, smartphones raised alongside prayer cards.

Hundreds of clergy in flowing vestments moved like a river of colour through the square, their garments catching the morning light – crimson, gold, and white against ancient stone.

Inside the cordoned-off section before the altar, the sharp red of cardinals’ robes contrasted with the black suits of over 160 foreign delegations. World leaders were arranged alphabetically, with exceptions for Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella and Argentina’s Javier Milei, granted prominent positions.

US President Donald Trump sat between the leaders of Finland and Estonia. Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky and Prince William were also there. Applause broke out when Zelensky walked down the Basilica steps.

Photographs later emerged showing Zelensky deep in conversation with Trump in what appeared to be the basilica. The White House confirmed the two leaders had met before the funeral – their first such meeting since their fiery exchange at the White House in February.

In his homily, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re described Francis as a “pope among the people, with an open heart towards everyone,” highlighting the late pontiff’s unwavering commitment to compassion and inclusivity.

“Rich in human warmth and deeply sensitive to the challenges of our time, Pope Francis truly shared in the anxieties, sufferings, and hopes of a globalised world,” Re said, underscoring the personal connection Francis fostered with people across all walks of life.

He noted that Francis’ advocacy for refugees and displaced persons was relentless, with “countless gestures and exhortations” made in their defence.

His dedication to the poor, Re added, was a constant thread throughout his papacy. As a lasting symbol of that commitment, the cardinal recalled the late pope’s first official journey –to the island of Lampedusa, a primary landing point for migrants crossing the Mediterranean from North Africa –where he paid tribute to those who had lost their lives seeking refuge.

“We are gathered with sad hearts around his mortal remains,” he said, “in this majestic St Peter’s Square.” He offered hope, reminding the faithful that “human existence does not end in the tomb but in the Father’s house”.

“Now, dear Pope Francis, we ask you to pray for us,” he concluded.

The 91-year-old Italian cardinal described Pope Francis as a leader who deeply resonated with people around the world and remained acutely aware of the changing times.

Despite the physical toll of his final years, he said, Francis remained committed to a life of service until the very end. Remembered as “a pope among the people”, the cardinal said Francis led with openness, compassion, and an unwavering dedication to others.

Francis’ global reach was reflected in the mourners, but his most important audience remained the poor, marginalised, and forgotten.

At 10am, under a spring sun, the funeral Mass began. The ceremony unfolded in multiple languages – Arabic, French, Polish, Portuguese, Chinese – reflecting the diversity of the global Church Francis had shaped.

The Sistine Chapel Choir sang a musical farewell, and readings from the Acts of the Apostles, Romans, and the Gospel of John highlighted Francis’ legacy: mercy, humility, and justice.

As incense rose, the choir’s voices rose in Latin, singing a traditional hymn of farewell: “May the angels lead you into paradise; may the martyrs come and welcome you and take you into the holy city, the new and eternal Jerusalem.”

The congregation applauded as the Gospels were removed from the coffin, the cardinals left the square and Francis was carried towards the “Door of Death”. A final toll of the 10-tonne bell marked his departure.

The funeral marks the beginning of nine days of official mourning for Pope Francis, who ascended to the papacy in 2013 after the unprecedented resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. Once the period of mourning concludes, cardinals will convene for the conclave to elect a new pope, determining the future leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.

Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was the first pope from the Americas, the first Jesuit pontiff, and the first to take the name Francis after the saint of the poor.

His papacy, spanning 12 transformative years, sought to redefine the church in a fractured world. He championed migrants, addressed climate change, and softened Church stances on LGBTQ+ issues and divorce – often inciting criticism from traditional quarters, but winning hearts in the process.

In a final act of quiet rebellion, Francis broke papal tradition and requested to be buried at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, not St Peter’s. There, beneath the ancient Marian shrine, his tomb lies – close to the people.

He is the first pope to be buried there since the 17th century – and the first in over 120 years to rest outside St Peter’s Basilica.

The cortege began its final journey through the streets of Rome, with a specially adapted white Popemobile carrying the coffin.

Moving at a deliberate pace, the vehicle wound its way past some of the most poignant landmarks of his papacy – the revered image of the Virgin Salus Populi Romani, the towering Vatican walls, and the quiet Roman corners where he had once stopped to offer food, prayer, and presence to the city’s most vulnerable. Each site served as a living memory of a pontiff who had consistently placed compassion at the heart of his mission.

Crossing the Tiber River and heading through central Rome, the procession continued past the Colosseum and on toward the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, where Francis had requested he be laid to rest.

Along the route, crowds stood in silence or broke into gentle applause as the Popemobile passed, many holding candles, prayer cards, or phones raised to capture the moment.

It was a farewell steeped in reverence and gratitude – a final journey through the Eternal City that bore witness not just to the end of a papacy, but to the enduring imprint of a pope who chose simplicity, humility, and closeness to the people until the very end.

The burial was private, with only a small group of cardinals and officials present. No fanfare, no applause. Just the sound of prayer and the weight of history.

At the Vatican, the crowd dispersed and the bells tolled one last time for the man in white, it was clear that the church he left behind had been changed forever – not by edict or doctrine, but by example.

Francis often spoke of a “field hospital church” that runs toward pain, not away from it. And as mourners from every nation and faith returned home, many carried the weight of his final sermon – preached not from a pulpit, but through a life of radical compassion.

His voice is stilled. But his message, echoing through the ages, may yet be his most enduring legacy.

No gilded throne. No golden crown. Just a shepherd, taken home.