Pope Francis laid to rest in Rome - as it happened

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Presented and edited by Joseph Kizza
(Time indicated is Ugandan time/EAT)
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 2:30 PM 

Pope Francis laid to rest

The curtains are drawn on an enduring legacy that Pope Francis leaves behind, as the Argentine pontiff is laid to rest inside the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica in Rome, a location he himself chose.

In the coming days, attention will now shift to electing his successor — traditionally done by cardinals. The candidates must be below the age of 80.

Thank you for following along. I will end this live text page here.

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 2:10 PM 

A first in a century

Francis is the first pope in over a century to be buried outside the Vatican, with the last being Pope Leo XIII, who died in 1903.

Below, his coffin is carried by pallbearers into Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica in Rome, where he is set to be laid to rest.

It is one of the last images of Pope Francis' coffin that we are seeing because the concluding part of this funeral will take place in private inside.

What a legacy he has left behind!

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 1:58 PM 

Pope arrives at burial place

The Pope's coffin has arrived at Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica, where he will be laid to rest as per his final wishes.

The final rite of burial will be private, so viewers around the world are seeing Pope Francis' coffin for the last time.

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 1:40 PM 

Emotions and prayers

It has been such a solemn, emotional funeral ceremony for the late Pope, with attendees seen immersed in prayer and deep reflection.

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 1:28 PM 

Pope moved to burial place

The procession to Santa Maria Maggiore has begun for Pope Francis. This will be his final resting place, as he had desired.

The Pope's coffin is being transported in a popemobile, a specially designed motor vehicle used by the Pope during public appearances. Tens of thousands of people have lined the streets of Rome to say their final goodbye to a man so loved around the world.

It was only six days ago, on Easter Sunday, that the dying pontiff moved in the popemobile greeting the people that had gathered in St Peter's Square. The following morning, the Vatican announced his death.
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 1:18 PM 

Trump and Zelensky meet briefly in Vatican

Meanwhile, before the start of the funeral mass earlier, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky met with his American counterpart Donald Trump inside the St Peter's Basilica on the sidelines, as this photo released by Ukrainian Presidential Press Service shows.

Reports indicated that their meeting was a "productive" one.

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 1:09 PM 

Pope Francis' coffin is now being carried back into St Peter's Basilica. Some people are clapping gently and respectfully, others are waving farewell while others cannot hold back tears.

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 1:02 PM 

As this solemn liturgy comes to an end, Cardinal Re, who has presided over the funeral mass, has commended the Pope's soul to God and asked for consolation for the Roman Catholic Church.

He has sprinkled holy water on the Pope's coffin.

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 12:59 PM 

A different pope

In a break away from tradition, Pope Francis asked to be buried in a simple wooden casket.

He was a pontiff who preferred simplicity in life and in death.

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 12:56 PM 

Prayer of the Eastern Churches

(from the Funeral Office of the Byzantine Liturgy)

God of our salvation, grant rest to the soul of your servant. Lover of mankind, lead him, with the souls of the just, to the blessings of eternal life in your presence. Guide the soul of your servant to the place of your rest, Lord, where your Saints repose, you who alone are immortal.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. You are our Saviour, our God, who descended into hell and freed those imprisoned there from its pains; now grant repose to the soul of your servant.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be. Amen.

May the Blessed Virgin Mary, most pure and immaculate, who without loss to her virginity became the Mother of God, pray for the salvation of the soul of your servant.

Have mercy on us, O God, in your great kindness; we beseech you, hear us and be merciful.

Lord, have mercy.

Again, let us pray for the repose of the soul of this departed servant of God Francis, Bishop, that he may be forgiven his every sin and failing.

Lord, have mercy.

May the Lord God lead his soul to the resting place of the righteous. Let us ask Christ, our immortal King and God, to bestow on him the divine mercy, the kingdom of heaven, and the forgiveness of his sins.

Hear us, Lord.

Let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

God of souls and of all flesh, who tram pled death underfoot, vanquished the devil and gave life to the world, grant repose to the soul of your departed Servant Francis, Bishop, in a place of light and joy, a verdant place, a place of blessedness, where suffering, pain and sorrow are no more.

Forgive every sin he committed in thought, word or deed, for you are a gracious God and a friend to mankind. No one who lives is without sin; you alone are sinless, your righteousness is eternal and your word is truth.

For you, O Christ our God, are the resurrection, the life and the repose of your Servant Francis, Bishop, who has fallen asleep. We give you glory, with your eternal Father and your Holy Spirit, who is gracious and the giver of life, now and forever. Amen.

May your remembrance be eternal, dear brother, worthy of blessedness, never to be forgotten.

Amen.

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 12:38 PM 

Litany of the Saints

Now it's time for the Litany of the Saints, with the saints being asked to pray for Pope Francis. Make that 73 saints in total. St Michael, St. Gabriel, St John, and the long list goes on.

This is a prayer of supplication and intercession, calling upon the saints for their prayers and aid. 

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 12:20 PM 

Next up is the exchange of the sign of peace.

Here, everyone turns to whoever is next to them to make the sign of peace.

After this, people will receive the Holy Communion.

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 12:17 PM 

THE COMMUNION RITE

At the Saviour's command and formed by divine teaching, we dare to say:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil, graciously grant our peace in our days, that, by the help of your mercy, we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress, as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours now and for ever.
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 12:11 PM 

Cardinal Re is now saying the Eucharistic Prayer. The hope of resurrection in Christ.

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 12:03 PM 

And now we move on to the most sacred phase of this funeral mass: the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

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 11:57 AM 

'Bless the whole world'

Cardinal Re reminds the faithful that Pope Francis usually ended his messages by urging believers to pray for him.

The Italian urges the now departed Pope to intercede for everyone from Heaven.

"Bless the Church, bless Rome and bless the whole world," he prays.
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 11:54 AM 

📸  In pictures: who is attending?

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (C) and his wife Olena Zelenska (L) sit alongside other leaders including India's President Droupadi Murmu (R).

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer (C) and his wife Victoria Starmer (C/L).

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 11:50 AM 

In his homily, Cardinal Re continues to pay glowing tribute to Pope Francis, touching on his efforts towards those in suffering and the marginalized.

"His instistence on working with the poor was consistent," he says of the late pontiff.

He says Pope Francis "always placed the Gospel of Mercy at the centre".
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 11:46 AM 

Cardinal Re delivers homily

The 91-year-old Italian Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals, is delivering his written homily, in which he is paying tribute to the late Pope Francis.

He says the late head of the Catholic world had "an open heart towards everyone" and was "attentive to the science of the times".

"He always sought to shed light on the problems of our times with the wisdom of the gospel," says Re, adding that Francis had an "informal way of addressing everyone".

"Evangelization was the guiding principle of his pontificate."

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 11:36 AM 

LITURGY OF THE WORD

Gospel

Follow me. The Lord be with you.

And with your spirit.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John.

Glory to you, O Lord. When Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples and they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?' He said to him, 'Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.' He said to him, 'Feed my lambs.'

He said to him a second time, 'Simon son of John, do you love me?' He said to him, 'Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.' He said to him, 'Tend my sheep.'

He said to him the third time, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me?' Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, 'Do you love me?' and he said to him, 'Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.' Jesus said to him, 'Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.' (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.)

And after saying this he said to him, 'Follow me.'

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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 11:29 AM 

LITURGY OF THE WORD

Second Reading

He will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body.

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Philippians

Brothers and sisters, our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

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 11:25 AM 

LITURGY OF THE WORD

First Reading

'He is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.'

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles

In those days: Peter opened his mouth and said: 'Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.

As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ - He is Lord of all - you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power.

He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem.

They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and caused him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.

To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.'

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

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 11:19 AM 

Italian Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals, is presiding over this funeral mass.

The 91-year-old has been the dean of the College of Cardinals since his election in 2020. The man whose funeral he is presiding over today, Pope Francis, extended his term in February this year.

Re took part in the conclaves that elected Pope Benedict XVI (April 2005) and his successor Pope Francis (March 2013).

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 11:13 AM 

Moments after the Pope's coffin is placed gently in front of the altar under Vatican's warm late-morning weather, the cardinals walk out from the basilica and out in the Square to take their places around the altar.

Choral hymns ring out across the vast Square that is packed with faithful.

World leaders, including US President Donald Trump, and royals are in attendance.

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 11:05 AM 

POPE FRANCIS' FUNERAL BEGINS

Pope Francis' coffin is being brought out of the St Peter's Basilica and into the Square.

Inside, the cardinals have lined on either side in honour of their departed leader.

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 10:50 AM 

📸  In pictures: who is attending?

This high-profile funeral ceremony has drawn very many world leaders, including the following:

Italy's President Sergio Mattarella

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni

Argentina's President Javier Milei

Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf

UN Secretary general Antonio Guterres

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen

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 10:00 AM 

One hour to go

The funeral of Pope Francis will big in an hour. In the meantime, dignitaries and faithful have been arriving at St Peter's Square to assemble for the solemn ceremony.

US former President Joe Biden and former First Lady Jill Biden have arrived.

And so has Chief advisor of Bangladesh’s interim government and 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, Muhammad Yunus.

Priests arrive ahead of late Pope Francis' funeral ceremony.

Nuns are also in attendance.

And so are cardinals.

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 9:13 AM 

📸  When Pope's coffin was sealed

The public viewing of Pope Francis's open coffin ended on Friday, after tens of thousands of worshippers had paid respects to the Argentinian pontiff during a three-day lying in state.

France's President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron were among those who paid their respects to the late Pope.

The Pope's coffin was then sealed according to the rite of the Velatio.

Kevin Farrell, Cardinal Camerlengo, conducts the rite of the Velatio to seal the coffin of Pope Francis.

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 8:45 AM 

Grand farewell to 'pope of the poor'

Today, mourners have thronged the Vatican and the streets of Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis, champion of the poor and the Catholic Church's first Latin American leader, which will be attended by world leaders and tens of thousands of faithful.

Some of the mourners waited overnight for a place and rushed into St Peter's Square when the metal barriers were opened at 6:00 am (7:00 am Ugandan time).

The Argentine pontiff, who died on Monday aged 88, sought to steer the centuries-old Church into a more inclusive direction during his 12-year papacy -- attested by the 250,000 people who paid their respects before his coffin during its three days of lying in state.

"He was not just the Pope, he was what definition of being human is," said Andrea Ugalde, 39, who flew from Los Angeles to attend Saturday's mass.

US President Donald Trump is among more than 50 heads of state due for the ceremony set to start at 10:00 am (11:00 am Ugandan time). Crowds of 200,000 people are expected for the funeral, for which Italian and Vatican authorities have mounted a major security operation.

A no-fly zone is in place, fighter jets are on standby and snipers will be positioned on roofs surrounding the tiny city state.

Volunteers with walkie-talkies instructed people entering the plaza to slow down as they went through metal detectors. Within an hour after opening the plaza, seats were the public were mostly filled.

"We spent the whole night here in the car with the children," said Peruvian Gabriela Lazo, 41. "We are very sorry for what happened to him because we carry a South American Pope in our hearts."

The funeral sets off the first of nine days of official Vatican mourning for Francis, who took over following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI in 2013.vAfter the mourning, cardinals will gather for the conclave to elect a new pope to lead the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.

Diplomatic gathering

Many of Francis's reforms angered traditionalists, while his criticism of injustices, from the treatment of migrants to the damage wrought by global warming, riled many world leaders.

Yet the former archbishop of Buenos Aires's compassion and charisma earned him global affection and respect.

Trump's administration drew the pontiff's ire for its mass deportation of migrants, but the president arrived late Friday with his wife Melania to pay tribute to "a good man" who "loved the world".

Making the first foreign trip of his second term, Trump will face dozens of foreign leaders keen to bend his ear over a trade war he unleashed, among other subjects.

Trump's predecessor Joe Biden is also attending the funeral, as are presidents Javier Milei of Argentina, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil, France's Emmanuel Macron and Lebanon's Joseph Aoun.

More than a dozen royals including Britain's Prince William will also be present. Israel -- angered by Francis's criticism of its conduct in Gaza -- is sending just its Holy See ambassador. China, which does not have formal relations with the Vatican, is not sending any representative at all.

Simple tomb

Francis, elected in 2013, died of a stroke and heart failure less than a month after he left hospital where he had battled pneumonia for five weeks.

He loved nothing more than being among his flock, taking selfies with the faithful and kissing babies, and made it his mission to visit the peripheries, rather than mainstream centres of Catholicism.

His last public act, the day before his death, was an Easter Sunday blessing of the entire world, ending his papacy as he had begun -- with an appeal to protect the "vulnerable, the marginalised, and migrants".

The Jesuit chose to be named after Saint Francis of Assisi, saying he wanted "a poor church for the poor", and eschewed fine robes and the papal palace.

Instead the Church's 266th pope lived at a Vatican guesthouse and chose to be interred in his favourite Rome church, Santa Maria Maggiore -- the first pontiff to be buried outside the Vatican walls in more than a century.

His send-off will be a grand affair, featuring some 224 cardinals and 750 bishops and priests alongside world dignatories. But the humble pope asked to be put inside a single wooden coffin to be laid in a simple marble tomb.

After the funeral, the coffin will be taken to Santa Maria Maggiore via the Fori Imperiali -- where Rome's ancient temples lie -- and the Colosseum. A group of "poor and needy" will greet the hearse on its arrival, the Vatican said.

Refusal to judge

Francis's admirers credit him with transforming perceptions of the Church and helping revive the faith following decades of clerical sex abuse scandals.

He was considered a radical by some for allowing divorced believers to receive communion, approving the baptism of transgender believers and blessings for same-sex couples, and refusing to judge gay Catholics.

But he also stuck with some centuries-old dogma, notably holding firm on the Church's opposition to abortion.

The first trip of Francis's 12-year papacy was to Lampedusa, an Italian island that became a haven for asylum seekers, and he visited Greece's Lesbos island, flying 12 refugees home with him. Some of those refugees will be at his funeral.
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 8:30 AM 

Probable route

A little earlier on this live page, I shared the programme for today's funeral ceremony, as released by the Vatican.

This infographic below gives you an idea of the probable route from the funeral of Pope Francis in St Peter’s Square in the Vatican to his final resting place at Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica.

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 8:23 AM 

'Farewell father, master and poet'

Within the last hour or so, people have been flocking to St Peter's Square to take their seats ahead of today's funeral for Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday.

The banner you see in the picture above, being held up by attendees, reads "Farewell father, master and poet, the youth of Scholas".
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 8:08 AM 

African leaders attending Pope's funeral

World leaders are already in Rome for Pope Francis's funeral. It is one of the largest diplomatic gatherings of recent times. The Vatican has released a list of heads of state and government as well as global royals in attendance.

Here are the leaders from Africa:

▪️ President William Ruto (Kenya) - pictured above
▪️ President Felix Tshisekedi (DR Congo)
▪️ Vice President Prosper Bazombanza (Burundi)
▪️ President Faustin-Archange Touadera (Central African Republic)
▪️ President Joao Lourenco (Angola)
▪️ President Jose Maria Neves (Cape Verde)
▪️ President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema (Gabon)
▪️ King Letsie III (Lesotho)
▪️ President Andry Rajoelina (Madagascar)
▪️ Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch (Morocco)
▪️ President Daniel Chapo (Mozambique)
▪️ President Wavel Ramkalawan (Seychelles)
▪️ President Julius Maada Bio (Sierra Leone)
▪️ President Faure Gnassingbe (Togo)
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 7:55 AM 

Pope Francis's final resting place

Pope Francis will be the first pontiff in more than a century not to be entombed in St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.

The Santa Maria Maggiore basilica, which he chose as his final resting place, is a fifth-century church located in the centre of Rome that already holds the tombs of seven popes. Francis was very devoted to the worship of the Virgin Mary and made a point of praying in Santa Maria Maggiore before leaving on trips abroad and upon his return to Rome.

Most recently, he prayed to the icon of the Virgin Mary inside the basilica on April 12, to mark the beginning of the Holy Week that culminated in Easter. Francis declared his desire to be entombed in the basilica — known in English as the Basilica of Saint Mary Major — in 2023.

The last pope to be buried there was Clement IX in 1669. The last pontiff to be buried outside the Vatican was Leo XIII in 1903, whose final resting place is the Church of Saint John Lateran, the Cathedral of the bishop of Rome.

One of four papal basilicas in Rome, Santa Maria Maggiore holds the remains of several other renowned personalities, such as the architect and sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini, who designed St Peter's Square and its surrounding columns.

The interior of Santa Maria Maggiore remains close to its origins. The central nave is lined by 40 Ionic columns and contains exquisite mosaics.

One legend ties the basilica to the Virgin Mary from its origins. It says that a childless wealthy Roman couple wanted to donate their possessions to the Virgin Mary.

She appeared to them in a vision and told them to build a church in her honour, where a miracle would take place. Snow fell that summer night in August 352 on the hill where the basilica now stands.

Another legend has Pope Liberius being told in a dream of the summer snowfall.

According to the Vatican, however, nothing remains of that original church. Construction of the current basilica began around 432 under Pope Sixtus III. The basilica holds some of the Church's most important relics, including an icon of the Virgin Mary holding the baby Jesus, attributed to Saint Luke.

It also holds pieces of wood believed to have been from Jesus's crib. The basilica's website says recent studies have dated the wood from the period of Jesus's birth.
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 7:40 AM 

📝 The funeral programme

The official programme of today's ceremonies was released already.

▪️ St Peter's Square is now open to the public, with thousands of people moving in the take their spots ahead of what is going to be an elaborate funeral ceremony.

▪️ The funeral mass, which will be presided over by the Italian Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals, will get under way at 10 am local time (11 am Ugandan time).

▪️ Pope Francis's wooden and zinc coffin, which was sealed on Friday evening, will be placed in front of the basilica before a temporary raised altar. To its left, facing St Peter's, will sit the red-robed cardinals. To the right, official delegations from around the world, seated in alphabetical order.

▪️ The ceremony is expected to last about 90 minutes, with 224 cardinals and 750 priests and bishops in attendance. It will feature, in chronological order:

- Reading of liturgical texts
- 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
- The celebrant sprinkling holy water on the pope

▪️ At the end of the mass, the coffin will be brought inside St Peter's Basilica.

▪️ At about 12:30pm, the coffin will leave for Santa Maria Maggiore, the Rome basilica where Francis will be buried. It will not be possible for mourners to follow the funeral procession but members of the public will be able to watch it pass by from behind metal barriers set along the route.

▪️ The hearse will cover about four kilometres driving at a slow pace through the streets of Rome. The transfer should take about 30 minutes.

The key points in the route are:

- Porta del Perugino (a western gate out of Vatican City)
- Crossing the River Tiber
- Corso Vittorio Emanuele
- Piazza Venezia
- Via dei Fori Imperiali
- Colosseum
- Via Labicana
- Via Merulana

▪️ At about 1pm, the coffin will arrive at Santa Maria Maggiore, where it will be welcomed by a group of the "poor and needy".

▪️ The burial, presided over by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who as camerlengo is running the Vatican's day-to-day affairs until a new pope is elected, will take place in private.
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 7:30 AM 

Hello and welcome

Good morning everyone. It is 6:30 am in Vatican City and 7:30 am in Kampala. Welcome to New Vision's live text coverage of Pope Francis' funeral, which is taking place today — five days after the Argentine pontiff died at the age of 88, drawing the curtains on a 12-year papacy.

Renowned as the champion of the poor and the Church's first Latin American leader, Francis will be honoured today with a funeral attended by world leaders and tens of thousands of Catholic faithful.

Coming into today, tributes have been flowing from across the world since the news of his death on Easter Monday was announced. 

And as I write this, as many as 250,000 people have paid respects at his open coffin in St Peter's Basilica, after which the doors of the basilica were shut on Friday to have the coffin closed in preparation for today's funeral.

As you would have expected, all is set to give the much-loved Pope a befitting sendoff. Basically, after a multi-lingual mass in St Peter's Square, his coffin will be taken to the Santa Maria Maggiore basilica, in central Rome, for burial.

I will keep you updated with developments from the funeral.

Below is a statue of Saint Peter at St Peter's Square.