By Facundo Iglesia and Juan Décima

Thousands of mourners gathered in the Vatican on Saturday morning to bid a final farewell to Pope Francis. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re conducted the funeral service on the steps of Saint Peter’s Basilica that began at 10 a.m. (5 a.m. Argentina time) and lasted a little over two hours. Aerial views showed Saint Peter’s Square brimming with people, as Vatican estimates placed attendance at over 250,000. 

The cardinal used the homily to highlight some key moments of Francis’ 12-year papacy. He mentioned his initial trip to Lampedusa to shed light on the “tragedy of emigration” and the writing of the encyclical letter Laudato si’ in which the pope drew attention to the climate crisis. He also spoke of Francis’s frequent calls to “build bridges, not walls,” adding that his service as pope was entirely devoted to humanity “in all its dimensions.”

Battista Re ended his address by asking that the pope “bless the whole world from heaven” and “embrace humanity that seeks the truth with a sincere heart and holds high the torch of hope.”

Argentine President Javier Milei was seen in the first pew nearest to the coffin. Right behind him was Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, as the pair received preferential seating as the leaders of the two countries the pontiff was closest to. Milei did not attend Francis’ public wake, as he arrived in Rome on Friday night after the coffin had been closed.

Other global leaders in attendance were U.S. President Donald Trump, Brazilian President Lula da Silva, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron, Britain’s Prince William, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Trump and Zelenskyy were pictured having a private conversation before the funeral began, the first time they have met since a tense meeting in the White House last February. 

The pope’s coffin was placed on the popemobile at the end of the ceremony in order to be taken to its final resting spot at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore. The vehicle, with the casket on its rear end visible to all, drove through the streets of Rome for close to 30 minutes as it made its way from Saint Peter’s Square to the basilica. The Vatican estimated that close to 150,000 people lined the streets in front of iconic city landmarks like the ancient Roman Forum and the Colosseum to accompany the procession. 

The “Rite of the Burial of the Roman Pontiff” began at 1 p.m. local time and lasted half an hour. Francis’ coffin was then laid to rest in the basilica near the icon of Mary Salus Populi Romani, the first pope in over a century to be buried outside the Vatican walls. 

Farewell to Pope Francis in Buenos Aires

Over 11,000 kilometers away, the Argentine Catholic Church gave its final sendoff to the late pontiff with a mass celebrated at the entrance of the Buenos Aires City Cathedral, located in front of Plaza de Mayo. The 10 a.m. service was conducted by Archbishop Jorge García Cuerva and lasted an hour. Some leaders seen in attendance were Vice President Victoria Villarruel, Buenos Aires Province Governor Axel Kicillof, and BA City Mayor Jorge Macri. 

“We are crying because our father has died, because we feel his physical absence, because we feel orphaned,” García Cueva said. He highlighted the pope’s life and reminded everyone of his constant advocacy for peace and the search for common ground. 

“Let us give the pope the best of gifts and commit to a pact as a church and a society. To give ourselves the embrace we need and live out the much-desired fraternity among Argentines,” he said. García Cuerva finished by paraphrasing one of Francis’ most well-known phrases, asking him to “go to heaven and make a fuss from there.”

A caravan organized by the Curas Villeros — a group of priests who work in informal neighborhoods — made its way around the square after the mass. Hundreds walked in the procession, which was intended to follow the “Way of Francis” mantra voiced by the priests. According to a document they released, the phrase intends to remind attendees of the pope’s “presence in the peripheries: squares, hospitals, prisons, slums, Christ’s homes, and shrines.”

Plaza de Mayo was packed with thousands of mourners. Banners reading “Make a fuss” and “Dream big” — two of Francis’ most famous phrases — were hanging all over the square and its surrounding streets. Vendors were selling Vatican flags with the pope’s image and the logo of San Lorenzo, the football team he was a fan of.

A helium balloon, a piñata-like puppet, and dozens of banners with his image were also present among people carrying signs identifying their churches and social movements. A video playing on giant screens located in the square showed Francis saying, “There is room for everyone in the Church, everyone, everyone.” The sounds in the square were a mashup of audio from the video and the mass mixed with the snare drums played by members of social organizations.

Asked what she will remember most of Francis, missionary nun Sandra Ortiz pointed to the idea of a “church on the move” that he encouraged. “A church that, amidst all this racket, has him as a living presence. He would be very happy to see this,” she said, adding that she received Bergoglio’s blessing before going to Rome. 

“I remember him with a lot of love and tenderness, because he was a man of the people.”

Faithful from the Caacupé parish, where Bergoglio served as a priest, were also in attendance. “I miss him very much. Because he lived with us. For 10 years, he was with us in church; he would walk down the streets with us,” said María Ayala, who migrated from Paraguay 30 years ago and now works in the church’s soup kitchen. Members of the church, located in the informal settlement known as Villa 21-24, carried a Caacupé virgin statuette.

Marcelo D’Ambrosio was a Boy Scout in the Flores neighborhood where the pope was born and raised and knew Francis from the church. He described him as an active person who was constantly trying to help wherever he could, from organizing children’s festivals to assisting soup kitchens. 

“When Bergoglio became Francis, he blew my mind and made me say, ‘Well, this is the church I want,’” he told the Herald, adding that the pope spoke to “collectives that felt excluded for thousands of years that can now feel like part of the Church.”