By CNN
What we're covering
• Funeral of Pope Francis ends: A “simplified” ceremony for the late Pope Francis concluded at the Vatican on Saturday, April 26, 2025, with more than 250,000 mourners in attendance. His coffin has now arrived in Rome’s Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, where he will be entombed in the gold basilica, which sits at the highest point of the Italian capital.
• Thousands gather: The funeral, which took place in St. Peter’s Square and lasted about 2 hours, was punctuated with an elaborate set of rituals. It came six days after the first Latin American pontiff made his final public appearance for Easter, at the same location.
• Who’s at the Vatican? Among those present were 130 delegations, including world leaders and reigning monarchs. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump met ahead of the funeral, the Ukrainian presidency said.
• ‘Pope among the people’: Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, one of the most senior figures in the Catholic Church, conducted the service. The 91-year-old honored Francis’ ability to lead with “an open heart towards everyone” in his sermon, describing him as a “pope among the people.”
Francis' coffin arrives at Rome church for burial
Pope Francis’ coffin arrived at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome.
Pallbearers lifted Francis’ coffin from the popemobile and carried it into the basilica.
Rather than the splendor of the Vatican, Francis has opted to be buried in Rome’s Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore. He will be the first pope to be buried outside the Vatican in more than a century.
Mourners are waiting to receive Pope Francis at his final resting place
While people filled into St. Peter’s Square for the funeral service early this morning, huge crowds were already growing outside the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, where Pope Francis will be buried.
Groups of young nuns holding rosaries and large groups of school students in Rome have been lining the streets by the basilica for hours, waiting for the arrival of Francis’ coffin.
Priscilla Adorato, 14, told CNN that her trip had been planned for more than a year, as part of the Jubilee of Adolescents celebrations – an event bringing together teens from across the world.
But instead of doing the activities they had planned long ago, the group instead went to visit the pope lying in state in St. Peter’s Basilica earlier in the week – and now want to see him at his final resting place.
“This is not what we were planning and while it is disappointing the pope had died instead of hosting us for the Jubilee, this is an amazing experience. In many ways it is more spiritual,” Adorato said.
Two large screens were set up in the piazza in front of the church to broadcast Francis’ funeral to a group of poor people, who live in a nearby convent.
The Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore is in one of the most culturally diverse areas of Rome. The people lining the streets are from all over the world, some holding flags from their countries.
Rome at a standstill as mourners honor Pope Francis
It feels like the whole of Rome has come to a standstill, certainly most of the roads all around the city center have been closed off.
Everyone is just pausing to absorb this moment – the solemnity of the bells, the historic nature of what they’ve just witnessed, and what they’re about to witness with this procession towards Santa Maria Maggiore.
This hasn’t been seen in hundreds of years. There are about seven other popes who are buried at that basilica, but again, it has not been seen in our lifetime.
And you really can feel the shift in mood having been here throughout the week. Initially a lot of people, who were already in Rome, were just curious about the moment in history. But today has a very different feeling. Today is about honoring, gratitude and love. There are just so many people in profound devotion and deep prayer.
The funeral was just what Pope Francis would’ve wanted
From CNN’s Christopher Lamb
Although the service today was very solemn, somber, prayerful, I didn’t find it sad. It was very hopeful, and there were spontaneous moments of applause – I think that is what Pope Francis would’ve wanted.
Even in death, Francis wants to maintain that connection with people. We’re really seeing the idea that death is not the end playing out here. I’m struck in this moment by the sense of joy, the clapping, and the sense that in death there is also hope.
You can really see the universality of the Church today – there are people from totally different cultures and countries coming together around a shared faith. It’s a very much profound sense of communion.
Pope Francis was very clear he wanted to be buried at Santa Maria Maggiore. He had a very strong connection with that basilica – he used to go to pray in front of an ancient icon of the Virgin Mary before and after his foreign trips. It was a very important place for him.
Papal procession leaves St. Peter's Basilica
Pope Francis’ coffin began its procession from the Vatican to the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, a church in Rome.
The basilica is about 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) away from the Vatican. Officials said the procession will proceed at walking pace, allowing the thousands of mourners packing Rome’s streets to get a final glimpse of the coffin.
The procession took the Pope’s body past various historical landmarks, including the Roman Forum and the Colosseum, before reaching Francis’ final resting place.
The final stretch of the route will travel down a wide leafy street leading to the basilica, which lies outside of the Vatican walls, on the other side of Rome’s River Tiber.
The arrival and entry to the Basilica is the last time the public will see the coffin of Pope Francis. Although the burial as not to be broadcast live, a rosary was held outside the basilica, which will be open to visitors from Sunday morning.
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