Pope Francis laid to rest after 250,000 attend funeral service

We’ve wrapped up our live coverage of Pope Francis’ funeral. You can read more about today’s service here, or scroll through the posts below to relive the day as it happened.

Pope Francis' coffin is carried into St. Peter's Square on Saturday.

With Pope Francis’ funeral services having drawn to a close, there is no concrete timeline for the choosing of a new pope, known as conclave, and plenty of mystery surrounds who will serve as Francis’ successor.

This conclave is going to be crucial for deciding the direction of the Roman Catholic Church, and the field of candidates is wide open thanks to Francis’ reforms, which made the body in charge of the election more representative of the worldwide church.

Conclave is not expected to begin earlier than 15 days, nor later than 20 days, after the pope’s death, likely placing it some time in early May.

The process is a combination of ancient tradition, religious ritual and politics. The voting takes place behind closed doors, and only cardinals under the age of 80 — slightly over half the total number — have a say in the decision.

Once the 135 members of the College of Cardinals are assembled in Rome, they meet in the Sistine Chapel to begin the decision-making process.

Conclaves go on for as long as it takes for one of the cardinals to receive two-thirds of the vote. Over the centuries, it has taken hours, days, weeks and even years for a new pope to be chosen.

Check out CNN’s guide to potential candidates here.

The graphic below lays out the steps we’ve seen so far — and what comes next:

In India, nuns dressed in white and blue lined the pews of an arched cathedral. In Britain, worshipers attended multiple masses at London’s Westminster Cathedral. And in the Philippines, children offered white flowers.

Members of the faithful around the world honored the late Pope Francis on his funeral Saturday. The 88-year-old pontiff — who was the first Latin American cardinal to hold the position — left an indelible mark on the 1.4 billion followers of the Catholic Church.

“He didn’t come for the good ones, he came for the ones who are lost,” she added. “I wish I could be like him.”

Catholic nuns pay tribute at a portrait of the late Pope Francis after a service at the Cathedral of The Most Holy Rosary, in Kolkata, India, on Saturday.

An aerial image shows Catholic believers holding candles during Pope Francis's requiem mass at the Esplanade of Tasitolu in Dili, East Timor, on Saturday.

Customers watch the funeral of Pope Francis at Bar Italia in London, England, on Saturday.

Two people light candles during a vigil for Pope Francis in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Saturday.

Parishioners attend a mass in honour of the late Pope Francis at the Catholic Church in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, on Saturday.

A Catholic family watches a live telecast of the funeral for the late Pope Francis taking place at St Peter's Square in the Vatican, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Saturday.

Filipino Catholics prepare to offer flowers during a live broadcast of the funeral of Pope Francis, at the Sacred Heart Parish-Shrine in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, on Saturday.

Members of the clergy gather after a requiem Mass in honor of the late Pope Francis at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Pretoria, South Africa, on Saturday.

Christopher Lamb and his family met Pope Francis at an event at the Vatican in February 2021.

Pope Francis had a great sense of humor. When I met him once at the back of the papal plane, I cracked a joke with him that was a little bit close to the line. Luckily, he roared with laughter and told me “Sei cattivo!” (“You’re naughty!”). Every day, he used to say, he prayed the words of St. Thomas More: “Lord, give me a sense of humor.”

Francis took what he did seriously. But he never took himself too seriously.

One thing that struck me about him was his intuition and pastoral instincts. Whatever the situation, he always seemed to find the right words to say. When I met him with my family one time, my youngest child was crying.

His ability to read people was also vital in his leadership. When he met bishops, he would get them into a circle and asked which one wanted to start speaking. It allowed him to understand the dynamics of a group, which helped him make appointments and decisions in the future.

Francis liked to make himself accessible. He would say his door was always open — but that same door also had a sign on it that read “no whining.”

There was never a dull moment covering his pontificate. As pope, he gave more media interviews than anyone else, but he never had a spokesperson or media advisers. Predicting his next move was notoriously difficult, and when it came to appointing new cardinals, no one knew when or who he’d be choosing in advance. New cardinals would talk about their phones blowing up in the middle of a Mass as people tried to contact them to tell them the news.

Francis wasn’t naïve, however. He was a politically savvy pope, very decisive and often stubborn. He wanted to stay true to himself and not become scripted. My enduring memory is of a very human pope who was full of surprises. He leaves big shoes to fill.

Dorothy Shea, US Ambassador to the United Nations, lights a candle ahead of a memorial Mass for Pope Francis at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York on Saturday.

A memorial Mass for Pope Francis is being held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City.

CNN’s Brynn Gingras spoke with the faithful outside the religious landmark for US Catholics.

Diane Solomon, who said she just returned from missionary work in Egypt, told CNN earlier this morning that she felt compelled to go into the cathedral to pay her respects to the pope.

Another woman, Tanya Brown, said: “I just love how he was such a people’s pope. He was kind. He always seemed to be the most like Jesus.”

Francis visited New York City in 2015, where he led prayers at St. Patrick’s, visited the 9/11 memorial, celebrated Mass in Madison Square Garden and spoke at the United Nations.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York, reflected on Pope Francis’ warmth in an interview with CNN on Tuesday.

“It’s like the world was sitting next to him on the front porch listening to your grandpa, sharing wisdom because he’s been through it all,” Dolan said.

US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meet in Vatican City on Saturday.

As more than 250,000 mourners gathered for Pope Francis’ funeral in St. Peter’s Square this morning, world leaders took the opportunity to hold high-stakes meetings before and after the services.

Here’s what you should know:

Zelensky’s meeting with Trump:

Zelensky’s meeting with Starmer:

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy meet in Rome on Saturday.

Zelensky’s meeting with Meloni:

Other interactions:

Pope Francis’ simple wooden coffin was driven through the streets of Rome on the popemobile this morning, passing the Colosseum and thousands of mourners on the way from St. Peter’s Basilica to the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore.

See it here:

Several people who attended Pope Francis’ funeral today told CNN they drove through the night to get there.

Clemence Grange, from France, divided up the overnight driving with her sisters and a friend. The group of four women left Lyon on Friday night at 7 p.m. local time (1 p.m. ET). By around 6 a.m., they had made it to just outside the Vatican, feeling “joy” but also sadness.

She added that she was proud of his commitments to the environment and to the poor.

Anita Althaus, 65, drove with a friend overnight from Germany’s Black Forest region to make it in time. It took them 14 hours to reach Rome.

People walk with a giant image of Pope Francis in Buenos Aires on Saturday.

In Pope Francis’ birthplace of Buenos Aires, thousands of mourners gathered to honor one of their own. A special Mass is underway in the Argentine capital, where Francis — born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in 1936 — lived and served until he became the 266th pope in 2013.

CNN’s David Culver is bringing us sentiment from the scene. He said people have been gathering overnight, many traveling from all parts of the city and surrounding provinces to take part in the tribute.

“This is their time to say goodbye to one of their own,” Culver said. “This mix of, I would say, joyfulness and there’s almost a rally-like attitude. You see people, they’ve got their banners, they’ve got T-shirts they’ve had made, music has been playing. For them this is, while a difficult moment, a celebratory one, too.”

A woman holds an image of Pope Francis as she attends a mass in Buenos Aires on Saturday.

Many in Buenos Aires speak of Francis with a striking sense of personal connection.

“They’re so at ease with who he is as a human being, they had him for 76 years here,” Culver said.

Here, it is common to hear residents recall direct encounters with the pope. “You ask, ‘Did you know Pope Francis before he was Pope Francis?’ and it is so matter-of-fact. People say, ‘Oh yes, he baptized my granddaughter,’ or, ‘He washed my son’s feet,’” Culver added.

People gather along the road as the coffin of late Pope Francis is transported in Rome on Saturday.

Pope Francis’ funeral this morning followed many traditions, but also included a few surprises, according to CNN’s Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb.

Here are some surprises of the day:

Pope Francis visits Yangon, Myanmar in 2017.

Pope Francis embarked on 47 foreign trips during his papacy, including a landmark tour in Asia, an unprecedented visit to Iraq and multiple trips throughout Latin America.

Today’s funeral homily emphasized his international and interfaith diplomacy, as well as his diplomatic focus on migrants.

Muslim Imam Beytullah Colak expressed deep admiration for Francis’ work with Muslim refugees and promoting interfaith dialogue, telling CNN: “We love him.” Colak traveled from the United States to the Vatican to express gratitude for the pontiff’s work.

As the first pope from the Global South, the Francis also made a point of reaching out to Catholics outside of Europe, including calling a parish in Gaza City nearly every night. He prioritized engaging with the Catholic church’s followers in Asia, with a landmark visit to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore last year.

Teresa Muthikul, who moved to Rome from Thailand, said she last saw the pope in 2019, and it felt important to come back to the Vatican this week to bid him farewell. “He taught us many things during his life — not only through his words, but also through his actions.”

The coffin of Pope Francis is carried by pallbearers into the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore on Saturday.

Pope Francis has been interred at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, the Vatican said Saturday.

The “rite of the Entombment of the Roman Pontiff” began at 1 p.m. local time (7 a.m. ET), in a ceremony presided over by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the “camerlengo” who had been tasked with making arrangements for Francis’ funeral, and who will soon help organize a conclave to choose Francis’ successor.

The ceremony concluded at 1:30 p.m. local time, the Vatican added.

Francis is the first pope in more than a century to be buried outside the walls of the Vatican. In his will, the late pontiff asked that his tomb be inscribed only with the word: “Franciscus.”

Faithful attend Pope Francis' funeral ceremony at St Peter's Square in the Vatican.

More than 250,000 worshipers, religious and political figures lined St. Peter’s Square, in the Vatican, on Saturday to pay their respects to the late Pope Francis, who died earlier this week at the age of 88.

The service started at St. Peter’s Basilica shortly after 10 a.m. local time (4 a.m. ET), lasting just over two hours.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, one of the most senior figures in the Catholic Church, led the simplified ceremony, in a series of rituals of religious hymns, an emotional homily and a final farewell to the pope, who was the first Latin American pontiff.

Francis’ modest coffin was then transported in the white popemobile over the River Tiber to be entombed in Rome’s Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore – an illuminated basilica that sits atop the highest point in the Italian capital.

Here’s how the day unfolded:

• Mourners and world leaders assemble: The pope’s funeral saw one of the largest gatherings of world leaders in recent years. A total of 130 delegations, including presidents and reigning monarchs, were in attendance. Argentine President Javier Milei, Britain’s Prince William, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, US President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky were among the most high-profile guests.

• Trump and Zelensky summit: The US and Ukrainian leaders met minutes before the funeral began Saturday, speaking face-to-face on two chairs that had been set up inside the St. Peter’s Basilica. A White House spokesman accompanying Trump said that the two leaders “had a very productive discussion.” A spokesman for Zelensky said the meeting lasted for about 15 minutes, and the leaders agreed to continue talks. The Ukrainian leader also held sideline meetings with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron.

• High security: Authorities in Rome ramped up security measures ahead of the service, deploying more than 2,000 police officers, sharpshooters and specialist forces. A further 400 traffic officers were on shift, the city’s police department told CNN.

• ‘Pope among the people:’ The 91-year-old Re eulogized the late pontiff’s “deeply sensitive” leadership, in a poignant sermon read out on the footsteps of St. Peter’s Basilica. “Faced with the raging wars of recent years, with their inhuman horrors and countless deaths and destruction, Pope Francis incessantly raised his voice imploring peace,” said Re. The late pontiff insistently advocated for communities in war-ravaged regions until his final days, including in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and South Sudan.

• Young worshipers pay respects: An array of mourners, including streams of young people and pilgrims from Indonesia, the US, the Philippines and France, pitched up at St. Peter’s Square overnight - a testament to Pope Francis’ wide appeal. Some of his most liberal supporters believe he was not reformist enough, but others say he has carved a progressive legacy in his wake, having transformed the Catholic Church for its 1.4 billion followers.

People watch a screen showing the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome, on Saturday, in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

To the world, he was Pope Francis. To the people of Buenos Aires, Argentina, he was Cardinal Bergoglio.

Francis was born in Buenos Aires in 1936. Before becoming pope, he served as the city’s archbishop for 15 years.

At a bus stop in Buenos Aires, dozens of mourners are traveling to the Plaza de Mayo, one of the central sites of the Argentine capital, for a mass to commemorate Pope Francis.

On board one of the several buses taking mourners to today’s mass, two women told CNN how Francis — after becoming pope — would still send letters back to his archdiocese every year, using a fax machine.

The buses, which Francis rode regularly during his many years in the city, have been set up specially today by authorities.

Thousands of miles away in Rome, Francis has reached his final resting place.

Photo of the former US Secretary of State John Kerry at Saint Peter's Square in Vatican on Friday.

Former US Secretary of State John Kerry said attending Pope Francis’ funeral was “extraordinarily moving,” as he reflected on the pontiff’s “remarkable character, approach and his humility.”

Kerry, who also attended the funeral of Pope John Paul II, said today’s farewell to Francis felt more emotional.

“In this case I think there was more emotion, more connection, a great passion for what he was fighting to do,” he said.

Reflecting on his own encounters with Francis — both in the White House and at the Vatican — Kerry said what struck him most was that the pope was “just so straightforward.”

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Hear from people along procession route in Rome

01:01 • Source: CNN

Hear from people along procession route in Rome

01:01

Mourners who camped out at Rome’s Colosseum lauded “the people’s pope” today as they waited for Pope Francis’ funeral hearse to weave past a series of historical landmarks in the Italian capital.

About 150,000 people gathered along the procession route in Rome, where the white popemobile carrying Francis’ coffin reached the Basilica di Santa di Maria Maggiore to be buried.

Several people told CNN they admired the pope’s “humanity” — characterizing his wide appeal among Catholic communities and beyond.

“Even though I’m not Catholic, he is a significant person in the world, in the history, and I really admire him,” Yuji Sugiyama, a 55-year-old from the US, told CNN.

Another onlooker, Miguel Angel Tarditti, 65, remembered Francis as “the most important personality of this time.”

Cardinals and bishops attend the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square on Saturday.

Four out of five of the cardinals who will soon select the next pontiff owe their positions to Pope Francis.

Of the 135 members of the College of Cardinals under the age of 80 who are eligible to appoint the next pontiff, Pope Francis installed 108. That means 80% of the votes cast in the upcoming conclave will be cast by cardinals elevated by Francis.

The conclave, which must be held in the coming days, will be “one of the most diverse that we’ve had in the history of the church,” Susan Timoney, a professor at the Catholic University of America in Washington DC, told CNN.

During his 12-year papacy, Francis appointed more than 20 cardinals from countries that had never previously had a cardinal, nearly all from developing countries, including Mongolia, Laos, Papua New Guinea and Mali.

Because many of the cardinals appointed by previous popes turned 80 during Francis’ papacy, this “generation shift in the age of the cardinals” allowed him to appoint new members from different parts of the world, Timoney said.

Timoney added that the conversations between cardinals ahead of the conclave are often crucial in determining the next pope.

“That’s where the cardinals come together. They talk about: ‘What are our priorities? What do we really need to be doing as a church?’” she said.

Given how many cardinals owe their positions to Francis, some have speculated that this could lead the conclave to appoint a successor that will continue to follow his pastoral priorities.

There is no concrete timeline for the choosing of a new pope, known as conclave. It is not expected to begin earlier than 15 days, nor later than 20 days, after the pope’s death.

Conclave cannot start during “novendiali” - the nine days of mourning that began with Pope Francis’ funeral today.

Conclave is a combination of ancient tradition, religious ritual and politics. The voting takes place behind closed doors. Only cardinals under the age of 80 – slightly over half the total number – have a say in the decision.

Once the 135 members of the College of Cardinals are assembled in Rome, they meet in the Sistine Chapel to begin the decision-making process.

Conclaves take as long as it takes for one of the cardinals to receive two-thirds of the vote. Over the centuries, it has taken hours, days, weeks and even years for a new pope to be chosen. Pope Francis was appointed in a little over a day.

A photograph taken from St Peter Basilica shows a general view of St Peter's Square during the funeral of late Pope Francis.

Pope Francis’ “insistence” on working for the poor was woven into today’s funeral events, with groups of underprivileged people invited to watch the service in St. Peter’s Square.

Those involved were chosen by the charity, Sant’Egidio, and they represented groups he felt were marginalized – including the homeless, migrants, the impoverished and a group of transgender women who live in a convent in Rome.

A group of marginalized people was also invited to line the steps of his final resting place, Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, at the end of the funeral procession.

The Argentine pope believed “the poor have a privileged place in the heart of God,” a Holy See statement issued before the funeral said.

“For this reason, a group of poor and needy people will be present on the steps leading to the papal Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore to pay their last respects to Pope Francis before the burial of his coffin.”

Pope Francis, who chose his name in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, with his commitment to poverty, peace and nature, wanted to reflect his own dedication to the homeless and disadvantaged.

“Pope Francis has done so much for people like me, people who are struggling, people who are unable to even pay to have our clothes washed,” said Anna Melnyk, a 30-year-old Ukrainian woman who came to Rome before the war. She regularly used a laundromat the late pope had set up for people in need. “He has made us feel like part of his family, especially those of us who have no families of our own,” she told CNN.

Florian Gretz, 66, who has been camping out near the Vatican for several years, recounted the time Pope Francis invited homeless people to dine inside the Vatican’s Paul VI Audience Hall in 2023. “He treated us with respect and dignity, we sat at tables and ate with silverware,” Gretz said. “Will the next pope do that?”

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, right, and US President Donald Trump talk as they attend the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his meeting with US President Donald Trump in St. Peter’s Basilica was “symbolic,” and the White House said the two leaders had a “very productive discussion.”

“Good meeting. We discussed a lot one on one,” Zelensky wrote Saturday on X.

White House officials said the meeting lasted around 15 minutes and was “very productive.”

The meeting inside the basilica came just before Pope Francis’ funeral began in St. Peter’s Square and did not appear to have been telegraphed in advance.

Ahead of the US president’s brief visit to Rome, officials had downplayed the prospect he would meet with Zelensky or any other world leaders, pointing to the truncated time frame for the trip and its solemn purpose of bidding farewell to the late pope.

Trump had originally selected Saudi Arabia for his first stop abroad of his new term and will visit there next month. But when Francis died those plans changed, and instead Trump made his first foreign stop in Europe, a continent he’s railed against frequently.