Key moments from Pope Francis’ funeral as mourners bid farewell to late pontiff

Pope Francis was laid to rest Saturday at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome after dying at 88 years old on April 21.

More than 250,000 people turned out to bid farewell to the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church. The crowd at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican included many young people and world leaders, giving us some important snapshots of our political moment.

Here are some key moments from the historic event:

Francis remembered as ‘pope among the people’

At his funeral, Pope Francis was remembered and venerated as a pontiff with “strength and serenity” who modeled his pontificate on St. Francis of Assisi. The dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re, delivered the homily in front of mourners in St. Peter’s Square.

“He established direct contact with individuals and peoples, eager to be close to everyone, with a marked attention to those in difficulty, giving himself without measure, especially to the marginalized, the least among us,” Re said.

“He was a Pope among the people, with an open heart towards everyone. He was also a Pope attentive to the signs of the times and what the Holy Spirit was awakening in the Church.”

Young people play a prominent role in Pope Francis’ funeral

Pope Francis’ outreach resonated with the younger generations, thousands of whom were present in St. Peter’s Square to mourn the late pontiff during his funeral on Saturday morning.

About 80,000 teenagers had registered for the Jubilee of Teenagers, a special event for worshippers between the ages of 12 and 17 during the Catholic Church’s Jubilee year of 2025, according to the Dicastery for Evangelization, a department of the Roman Curia — the central governing body of the Catholic Church.

Some changes were made to the event, scheduled for Friday and Sunday, due to Francis’ death. The canonization of Carlo Acutis, who died in 2006 at the age of 15 from leukemia, was postponed. Acutis, an Italian teen known for his devotion to the Eucharist, is set to become the first “millennial” saint upon his canonization, which was formally approved by Francis in July 2024.

Crowd applauds as Pope Francis’ coffin is brought out of basilica

The mourners assembled in St. Peter’s Square broke into applause as pallbearers carried the pope’s coffin outside. It was the site of Pope Francis’ last official act, when he celebrated Easter Sunday a day before he died on April 21.

American reporter delivers 1st reading

Some young adults even played a prominent role in the funeral proceedings. American Kielce Gussie, 28, did the first reading in English — several verses from the Acts of the Apostles.

Gussie works as a journalist at Vatican News and completed her undergraduate degree in theology at Mount St. Mary’s University. She also has a licentiate degree in church communication from Rome’s Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.

Crowd applauds Ukrainian President Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in attendance with his wife Olena Zelenska, earned applause from the crowd in St. Peter’s Square appeared on the screens around the area.

Zelenskyy has led Ukraine during the country’s war with Russia, which escalated in 2022 after the Russian invasion of the Eastern European country.

President Donald Trump met privately with Zelenskyy prior to the funeral and had a “very productive session,” White House Communications Director Steven Cheung told the press pool traveling with Trump.

It was the first meeting between the two men since their contentious February meeting in the Oval Office, in which Trump and Vice President JD Vance rebuked Zelenskyy for his handling of the war.

First lady Melania Trump joined the president at the funeral. Former President Joe Biden and former first lady Jill Biden attended the funeral as well, sitting about four rows behind the Trumps.

Pages of the Book of Gospels blow in the wind

It is one of the most poignant and iconic moments in papal funerals: the simple yet profound image of the breeze blowing the pages of the Book of the Gospels resting on top of the pope’s coffin in St. Peter’s Square.

The book was opened to the reading, “In the Passion and death of the Lord.”

Bells toll as coffin is brought back into basilica

The coffin carrying Pope Francis was brought through the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica for a final time as bells tolled for the pope throughout the Vatican.

The funeral, which lasted more than two hours, concluded with bells ringing for the pontiff. His coffin was taken to Rome’s Basilica of Saint Mary Major where he was laid to rest.

Thousands line streets of Rome for Pope Francis’ funeral procession

The four-mile route between St. Peter’s Basilica and the final resting place of Pope Francis — the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome — was lined with tens of thousands of mourners following his funeral on Saturday morning.

People could be seen crying and applauding as Francis’ coffin drove by.

Francis’ coffin was placed in the bed of a white pickup truck, where it was visible to the thousands lining the streets. The procession took the pope’s body past some of Rome’s historical landmarks, such as the Roman Forum and the Colosseum.

When Pope Francis arrived at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, it was the last time he was seen in public before his burial. The basilica will reopen to visitors again on Sunday.

ABC News’ Alexandra Hutzler, Kevin Shalvey, Jon Haworth, Hannah Demissie, Molly Nagle, Alex Ederson, Phoebe Natanson and Thomas Dunlavey.