Pope Francis Funeral Today: Global Leaders Gather in Rome

Rome stands still and the world's eyes are fixed on the Vatican. Today, Pope Francis is being buried. In attendance are royalty, tens of thousands of mourners – and a long list of the world's most powerful leaders. However, for some, the pomp leaves a bitter aftertaste.

» Published: April 26 2025 at 05:45

The third time the taxi from Fiumicino Airport is forced to stop to let a police escort pass, the chauffeur sighs.

Some are certainly more important than others, he notes dryly.

The police presence is at least heavy in Rome ahead of today's funeral of Pope Francis. Over 160 dignitaries from all corners of the world are in place: presidents, prime ministers, and royalty. The security effort is therefore enormous. Each dignitary is protected by long convoys with flashing blue lights.

Around the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, where the Pope will be laid to rest according to his own wishes, there are barricades and helicopters hover in the sky. In every other street corner, shop and restaurant owners have set up small provisional altars, with candles and printed pictures of a smiling Francis.

"So Over the Top"

The Vatican gates opened at 6:30. By then, thousands of people had been queuing for hours to bid farewell to the Catholic Church's highest leader. A few hundred are reported to have slept at St. Peter's Square.

But for some Romans, including restaurant owner Marco Paganelli, the fuss surrounding the funeral is over the top. For him, one of Francis' predecessors, Pope John Paul II, is superior to all other popes.

We Romans are not so attached to Pope Francis. International guests and people from Milan might come and look at him. I myself have already seen three dead popes.

Inside Paganelli's restaurant in central Rome, the TV shows pictures of US President Donald Trump's motorcade from Fiumicino: Car after car after car. Two ambulances. A bus. And a few more cars.

Mamma Mia. It's so over the top, way too much. People are dying of hunger and you see this.

Lightning Visit

Papal funerals are rare. A pope sits for life from the moment he is elected; Francis had been pope for twelve years when he passed away on Monday. Therefore, today's funeral is expected to attract a huge crowd – according to Italian police, "at least a few hundred thousand". According to some estimates, over a million people may attend the funeral on site, writes Italian La Repubblica.

The ceremony on St. Peter's Square begins at 10 and is led by Giovanni Battista Re, the 91-year-old dean of the Church, mainly in Latin. Then, the Pope's coffin is carried in a six-kilometer-long motorcade to Santa Maria Maggiore in central Rome.

Earlier in the week, Donald Trump expressed hopes for bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the funeral, but the possibility seems minimal: The President and his wife Melania Trump arrived at Fiumicino Airport only around 11 pm last night and will fly home around 1:30 pm – in other words, directly after the funeral, notes Italian media.

Pope Francis was born as Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina on December 17, 1936. He passed away in the Vatican on April 21, 2025, at the age of 88.

Here is a selection of the heads of state and government – in alphabetical order – who, according to the Vatican, will attend Saturday's funeral ceremony:

Argentina's President Javier Milei

Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

Belgium's King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, as well as Prime Minister Bart De Wever

Denmark's Queen Mary

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President António Costa

Philippines' President Ferdinand Marcos

Finland's President Alexander Stubb

UN Secretary-General António Guterres

France's President Emmanuel Macron

Indonesia's President Joko Widodo

Iran's Culture Minister Abbas Salehi

Iceland's President Halla Tómasdóttir