The “final image” of Pope Francis will be him greeting crowds on Easter Sunday despite “serious health problems”, the 200,000 people who gathered for his funeral in Vatican City were told.
Presidents, prime ministers and cardinals are among those bidding a final farewell to a religious leader described as “a pope among the people”, whose death sparked tributes from across the globe.
The 88-year-old, who died on Easter Monday, has been hailed for his leadership of the Church, proving popular among young people and known for his outreach to those most in need in society.
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Addressing those gathered in St Peter’s Square on Saturday morning, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re said: “The final image we have of him, which will remain etched in our memory, in our eyes and our hearts is that of last Sunday, Easter Sunday, when Pope Francis, despite his serious health problems, wanted to give us his blessings from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica.
“He then came down to this square to greet from his open pope-mobile the large crowd gathered for the Easter mass.”
US President Donald Trump joined UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and a host of other world leaders and dignitaries for the open-air funeral mass in St Peter’s Square.
Volodymyr Zelensky appeared to receive a round of applause as he stepped out of St Peter’s Basilica.
Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky met before the funeral and are expected to do so again afterwards, according to Ukrainian officials.
The Vatican has said 200,000 people are attending the funeral.
Others attending include the Prince of Wales – who is attending on behalf of the King, Sir Keir and his wife Victoria, Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Irish President Michael D Higgins, Taoiseach Micheal Martin and Tanaiste Simon Harris, Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney and Michelle O’Neill, the First Minister of Northern Ireland.
Before the funeral William, side by side with Sir Keir, stood for a moment’s silence in front of Pope Francis’s sealed wooden and zinc coffin in its place before the altar in St Peter’s Basilica.
It is the first time the prince has represented the monarch at an international funeral.
William spoke briefly to US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump on his way into the service.
The seating plan was based on a complex order of precedence, with Argentina – the country of the Pope’s birth – and Italy at the front.
Other sovereigns, heads of state, and heads of government were then seated in alphabetical order of their countries’ names in the French language – used because French is considered the language of diplomacy.
Cardinal Re also told the crowd Pope Francis was “a pope among the people” who “truly shared the anxieties, sufferings and hopes of this time”.
The cardinal 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, with his characteristic vocabulary and language rich in images and metaphors, he always sought to shed light on the problems of our time with the wisdom of the gospel.”
The cardinal added: “He had great spontaneity and an informal way of addressing everyone, even those far from the Church. Rich in human warmth and deeply sensitive to today’s challenges, Pope Francis truly shared the anxieties, sufferings and hopes of this time.
“He gave of himself by comforting and encouraging us with a message capable of reaching people’s hearts in a direct and immediate way.
“His charisma of welcome and listening combined with a manner of behaviour in keeping with today’s sensitivities touched hearts and sought to reawaken moral and spiritual sensibilities.”
Cardinal Re also said the Pope “incessantly raised his voice” for peace and urged people to “build bridges not walls”.
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