simply amazing, always for you.
Rome, April 26, 2025 —
In a powerful farewell that reflected his lifelong devotion to the poor and marginalized, Pope Francis was laid to rest today at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, breaking with over a century of tradition that usually sees popes buried within the Vatican.
Under the soft morning light, St. Peter’s Square overflowed with more than 250,000 mourners — a sea of pilgrims, world leaders, and everyday faithful — all gathered to pay tribute to a pope who changed the face of the Catholic Church. Among them stood U.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, Prince William representing King Charles III, and Britain’s Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
But it was not just the powerful who took part in Pope Francis’ final journey. In a move that was deeply personal and profoundly symbolic, groups of the marginalized — the homeless, migrants, prisoners, and even a group of transgender women living in a Roman convent — were given front-row places to honor him. Chosen by the charity Sant’Egidio, they lined the steps of Santa Maria Maggiore to bid farewell, each receiving a simple white rose as a symbol of dignity, peace, and love.
The Vatican, in a statement released before the funeral, emphasized Francis’ belief that “the poor have a privileged place in the heart of God.” His final farewell made that clear — blending the mighty and the meek in a ceremony that was as much about who he served in life as it was about honoring his passing.
“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, speaking to CNN. She recalled how the late pope had established a laundromat in Rome for the homeless and impoverished.
“He made us feel like family, especially those of us who have no family.”
Florian Gretz, 66, a homeless man living near the Vatican, remembered when Pope Francis invited Rome’s homeless to dine inside the Vatican’s Paul VI Audience Hall in 2023 — an unprecedented act.
“He treated us with dignity. We sat at tables, ate with silverware. It wasn’t just charity; it was respect,” he said quietly. “I wonder if the next pope will do the same.”
Inside St. Peter’s Basilica, world leaders paused for a solemn moment of silence in front of the pope’s simple coffin, made of cypress wood — a symbol of humility and resurrection. Prince William, dressed in a dark blue suit and black tie, bowed his head in a long, thoughtful moment before being led to his seat.
In yet another departure from tradition, Pope Francis had chosen not to be buried under St. Peter’s Basilica. Instead, his body was interred at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, one of Rome’s four major churches and one with deep personal significance for him. Throughout his papacy, Francis often visited the basilica, praying before the icon of the Virgin Mary known as Salus Populi Romani before and after his journeys abroad.
According to the Vatican, Francis requested a simple burial, without monumental tombs or grandeur. His resting place is marked only with the inscription “Franciscus,” in keeping with his life’s message of simplicity, service, and humility.
Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was the first Jesuit pope, the first from the Americas, and the first to choose the name Francis — inspired by St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of the poor, peace, and nature. Over his 12-year papacy, he worked to make the Church more compassionate and inclusive, reaching out to groups long left at the margins, from the LGBTQ+ community to prisoners and migrants.
Today’s funeral mass was designed in the same spirit: simple, heartfelt, and rooted in the gospel of mercy. Pope Francis himself had reformed the rites for papal funerals to remove the elaborate traditional prayers for the “restoration of the papacy” — preferring instead a focus on prayer, gratitude, and hope.
As Rome mourns, Catholics around the world are reflecting on a legacy that shifted the Church’s focus back to the poor, the sick, and the forgotten. It is a legacy many hope will guide the Church’s next chapter.
“He showed us what it truly means to serve,” said a weeping nun near the basilica steps. “He was the people’s pope. And he still is.”