Pope Francis’ Funeral: A Humble Farewell

Pope Francis, the first Latin American and Jesuit pope, will be laid to rest Saturday in a funeral reflecting his vision of a humble papacy. Up to 200,000 people are expected in St. Peter’s Square, with dignitaries like U.S. President Donald Trump and Argentine President Javier Milei attending. Yet, prisoners and migrants will escort his casket, embodying Francis’ focus on the marginalized. Francis, who died at 88 on Easter Monday after a stroke and pneumonia, revised the Vatican’s funeral rites last year to emphasize simplicity and his role as a pastor, not a worldly power.

Over 250,000 people waited hours this week to view Francis’ body in St. Peter’s Basilica, with many turned away when doors closed Friday. His casket will travel a 4-kilometer route through Rome to St. Mary Major Basilica, where up to 300,000 may line the streets. Francis chose this basilica, tied to his Jesuit roots and devotion to the Salus Popoli Romani icon, for his simple tomb marked “Franciscus.” Forty special guests, including homeless individuals and transgender people, will greet the casket, reflecting his belief, as the Vatican quoted, that “the poor have a privileged place in the heart of God.”

The funeral paves the way for a conclave in early May to elect a new pope, led by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re. Italy has deployed over 2,500 police, 1,500 soldiers, and naval and air forces for security, per Italian media. The private burial, attended by cardinals and aides, concludes Francis’ 12-year mission to reform the papacy into a “poor church for the poor,” inspired by St. Francis of Assisi.