Pope Francis Funeral Today: President Murmu, Trump Pay Homage To The Pontiff At Vatican | Top Updates

Last Updated:April 26, 2025, 13:48 IST

Pope Francis will be laid to rest on Saturday after a 90-minute funeral mass attended by world leaders and thousands of mourners. He passed away aged 88 due to a stroke.

The casket of Pope Francis sits sealed at St. Peter's Basilica, ahead of his funeral at the Vatican on Saturday. (Reuters)

Pope Francis, the first Latin American pontiff to lead the Roman Catholic Church, will be buried today in a simple funeral culminating in Rome’s Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, four kilometres away from St Peter’s Basilica, in the presence of several world leaders.

The Argentinian pontiff passed away at the age of 88 on Monday after suffering a stroke, beginning a planned period of transition for the 1.4-billion-member Roman Catholic Church, marked by ancient ritual, pomp and mourning. Francis was admitted to the hospital in February after being diagnosed with double pneumonia and spent 38 days there.

President Droupadi Murmu is among several world leaders who will pay their final respects to the pope today. She is accompanied by Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs, Kiren Rijiju; Minister of State for Minority Affairs and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, George Kurian; and Deputy Speaker of Goa Legislative Assembly, Joshua De Souza.

Murmu paid homage to the Argentinian pontiff at the Basilica of St Peter on Friday, during her two-day visit to the Vatican City to offer condolences on behalf of the government and people of India. India had declared a three-day state mourning on the passing of Pope Francis.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X, “Rashtrapati Ji pays homage to His Holiness, Pope Francis, on behalf of the people of India. The world will always remember his service to society."

Pope Francis’ Funeral Mass Begins

Pope Francis’ funeral mass is being presided over by Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals.

The ceremony should last about 90 minutes, with 224 cardinals and 750 priests and bishops in attendance.

Francis’s wooden and zinc coffin, 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.

Who Will Attend Pope Francis’ Funeral?

The high-profile funeral mass of Pope Francis on Saturday will see royalty, presidents and prime ministers along with his followers at St. Peter’s Square to honour his 12-year papacy. US President Donald Trump, who has clashed with Francis on numerous occasions, will also attend the funeral.

His casket will be carried through the main doors on Saturday for the outdoor funeral, which starts at 10 am (1:30 pm Indian time), with massed ranks of foreign dignitaries to one side of the stone colonnade, facing hundreds of red-hated cardinals on opposite banks of seats.

Alongside Trump will be the presidents of Argentina, France, Gabon, Germany, Italy, the Philippines, Poland and Ukraine, together with the prime ministers of Britain and New Zealand, and many European royals. The Vatican said that 164 delegations are confirmed, including 54 heads of state and 12 reigning sovereigns.

Around 250,000 mourners will fill the main access route to the basilica to follow the ceremony, which will be presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, a 91-year-old Italian prelate. Interestingly, Francis shunned much of the pomp and privilege associated with the papacy and his funeral is expected to take only 90 minutes.

Tens Of Thousands Pay Final Respects

More than 250,000 people paid their last respects to Pope Francis over three days of public viewing by ordinary mourners, church and political leaders that ended on Friday when his coffin was sealed ahead of his state funeral.

A higher-than-expected turnout prompted the Vatican to extend the basilica’s opening hours overnight. The rite of closing his coffin was led by the Cardinal Camerlengo Kevin Farrell, the acting head of the church, who is tasked with making arrangements for the pope’s funeral.

Francis has been placed inside a single, zinc-lined wooden coffin, as opposed to the traditional caskets of cypress, lead and oak, after his push to simplify papal funeral rites. He will also be the first pope to be buried outside the Vatican in more than a century.

Francis’ tomb has just “Franciscus", his name in Latin, inscribed on the top. His funeral motorcade will drive him through the city for one last time on Saturday, allowing Romans to say their farewell.

Italy is deploying more than 2,500 police officers and 1,500 soldiers to provide security during the funeral, which is expected to gather about 200,000 mourners in St. Peter’s Square and up to 300,000 people along the 4-kilometre route from the Vatican to the pope’s burial place across Rome.

The first non-European pope for almost 13 centuries, Francis battled to reshape the Roman Catholic Church during his 12-year reign, siding with the poor and marginalised, while challenging wealthy nations to help migrants and reverse climate change. The work of the conclave to choose a new pope won’t start until at least May 5, after nine days of public mourning.

(with inputs from agencies)

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