See photos of Pope Francis' funeral and procession as pontiff is laid to rest

CBS News

26-04-2025

The funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday drew a crowd to St. Peter's Square that included kings and queens, presidents and prime ministers, cardinals and archbishops, as well as hundreds of thousands of devoted followers touched by his commitment to the poor, his defense of the world's migrants, and his outreach to those long marginalized by the church.
Though the famously humble pontiff requested simplicity in his wooden coffin and final resting place, the funeral Mass still reflected the grandeur and traditions of the Vatican. See photos below of some of the highlights of the day honoring the leader known as "the People's Pope."
Crowd fills St. Peter's Square for Pope Francis' funeral
An estimated 250,000 people attended the funeral service outside St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.
Members of the clergy among the crowd attending the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square on April 26, 2025 in Vatican City.
PENNY KARACHALIOU/SOOC/AFP via Getty Images
A statue gazes down on clergy members in red and white vestments at the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square.
Dan Kitwood / Getty Images
An aerial view of the crowd at St. Peter's Square during Pope Francis's funeral on April 26, 2025.
/ Getty Images
Pallbearers carry the coffin of Pope Francis
Pallbearers carry the coffin of Pope Francis at his funeral service at St. Peter's.
ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP via Getty Images
A line of clergy and pallbearers carrying Pope Francis' coffin file into St Peter's Basilica at the end of the funeral ceremony.
TIZIANA FABI/AFP via Getty Images
World leaders watch from the front row as pallbearers carry the coffin of Pope Francis at his funeral.
Dan Kitwood / Getty Images
Church regalia on display
With Swiss Guards in the foreground, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re speaks at the funeral Mass for Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square.
Oliver Weiken/picture alliance via Getty Images
Members of the clergy wait in their seats ahead of the funeral for Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square.
PENNY KARACHALIOU/SOOC/AFP via Getty Images
A sea of red vestments at the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square.
PENNY KARACHALIOU/SOOC/AFP via Getty Images
Members of the clergy among the crowd attending the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square.
PENNY KARACHALIOU/SOOC/AFP via Getty Images
High ranking clergy emerge from St. Peter's Basilica for the funeral Mass of Pope Francis.
Domenico Cippitelli/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Cardinals of the Eastern and Oriental Catholic Churches arrive to pay a last moment of respect in front of the coffin of Pope Francis during the funeral ceremony.
ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images
Youssef Absi, Patriarch of Antioch and All the Orient, of Alexandria and of Jerusalem, and head of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, blesses with myrrh the coffin of late Pope Francis during the funeral ceremony.
ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images
President Trump and world leaders in attendance
The Vatican said delegations from about 130 countries would attend the ceremony, including about 50 heads of state and 10 reigning monarchs. President Trump and first lady Melania Trump were there, and former President Joe Biden also attended. Before the funeral, Mr. Trump met privately with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
France's President Emmanuel Macron shakes hands with President Trump ahead of the funeral for Pope Francis at St. Peter's Square.
ISABELLA BONOTTO/AFP via Getty Images
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump at the funeral of Pope Francis.
Dan Kitwood / Getty Images
President Trump and his wife Melania Trump stand with other world leaders during the funeral ceremony for Pope Francis.
ISABELLA BONOTTO/AFP via Getty Images
President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are shown meeting ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis in the Vatican.
Ukraine Presidential Office handout
Former President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden arrive for he funeral for Pope Francis at St Peter's Square.
FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP via Getty Images
Prayers from the faithful for Pope Francis
The faithful pray at the funeral Mass for the late Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square.
Oliver Weiken/picture alliance via Getty Images
Clergy pray by the coffin of Pope Francis during his funeral.
Mauro Ujetto/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Nuns gather for the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City.
Getty Images
Priests offer Communion to those attending the funeral of Pope Francis in Vatican City.
Getty Images
As Pope Francis' funeral took place at the Vatican, Catholic believers attended a requiem Mass for him in Dili, East Timor, where he visited last year.
VALENTINO DARIELL DE SOUSA/AFP via Getty Images
Funeral Mass and homily honoring "a pope among the people"
The Mass was led by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the 91-year-old dean of the College of Cardinals, who also delivered a highly personal homily.
"He was a pope among the people, with an open heart towards everyone," Re said of Pope Francis, who died at the age of 88. "The guiding thread of his mission was also the conviction that the church is a home for all, a home with its doors always open."
The dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re, prays at the closed coffin during the funeral Mass for Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square.
Michael Kappeler/picture alliance via Getty Images
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re speaks at the funeral of Pope Francis.
Mauro Ujetto/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re blesses the coffin of Pope Francis during the funeral ceremony.
TIZIANA FABI/AFP via Getty Images
Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re blesses the coffin of Pope Francis during the funeral ceremony.
ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images
Crowds pay their last respects to Pope Francis
After the funeral Mass, the coffin of Pope Francis was taken in a procession through the streets of Rome to his final resting place, the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore (St. Mary Major). In his last will and testament, Francis asked to be buried in that fifth-century church dedicated to the Virgin Mary, where he went to pray before and after his foreign travels as pontiff.
A nun attends the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square.
Getty Images
Crowds gather to watch the procession of the Popemobile carrying the coffin of Pope Francis through the streets of Rome to his final resting place.
Andrei Pungovschi / Getty Images
People gather along streets near the Colosseum to watch the funeral procession.
STEFANO RELLANDINI/AFP via Getty Images
Members of the clergy and a representative group described by the Vatican as the "poor and needy" welcome the coffin of Pope Francis as it arrives at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore for burial.
Chris Furlong / Getty Images
The coffin of Pope Francis is carried by pallbearers into Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica in Rome for his burial.
PIERO CRUCIATTI/AFP via Getty Images
"Grazie Papa Francisco!"
A man in Rome holds up a newspaper with the headline "Grazie Papa Francisco!" (Thank you, Pope Francis) on the day of the the pope's funeral, April 26, 2025.
Getty Images