Pope Francis was buried yesterday at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome, marking a historic moment as he became the first Pope in over a century to be buried outside the Vatican.
An estimated 400,000 people gathered for the funeral to pay their respects during a private entombment ceremony.
The event saw participation from royals, world leaders and cardinals, alongside numerous faithful, demonstrating how the mourning for the 266th pontiff crossed all social strata and backgrounds.
In line with Pope Francis’s legacy of challenging tradition, many of the elaborate and costly rituals typically associated with papal burials were omitted in favour of simpler observances.
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals, led the requiem mass alongside approximately 250 cardinals, patriarchs, archbishops, bishops, priests and religious figures.
During his homily, Cardinal Re spoke about the remarkable global response to Pope Francis’s death, calling it a “powerful testament to his impact on the church and humanity.
“The final image we have of him, etched in our memory, is from last Sunday—Easter Sunday,” recalling how the frail pontiff overcame significant health challenges to bless the faithful from the St. Peter’s Basilica balcony and later engage with crowds from the Popemobile.
Re lauded Pope Francis’s steadfast dedication to service, noting that he remained committed to “self-giving until the last day of his earthly life.”
He recounted the election of Jorge Mario Bergoglio as Pope on March 13, 2013, underscoring his extensive background in the Society of Jesus and his two decades of pastoral work in Buenos Aires.
“His choice of the name “Francis,” inspired by Saint Francis of Assisi, set the tone for the values he would embody as pontiff.
“His language, rich in imagery and metaphors, always sought to illuminate the problems of our time through the wisdom of the Gospel.
“He offered responses rooted in faith, urging Christians to live with hope amid what he termed an ‘epochal change,’” he said.
The homily also explained Pope Francis’s fervent advocacy for peace amid global conflicts, with Cardinal Re quoting the late pontiff: “War always leaves the world worse than it was before. It is the death of hope.”
Additionally, he reiterated one of Pope Francis’s most significant calls to action: “Build bridges, not walls,” encapsulating the Pope’s commitment to dialogue, inclusion, and humanity.
As the Catholic Church grieves the loss of Pope Francis, Cardinal Re urged the faithful to remember him in their prayers, invoking the late pontiff’s own words: “Do not forget to pray for me.”
“Now, dear Pope Francis, we ask you to pray for us. Bless the Church, bless Rome, and bless the world from heaven, just as you did from the balcony of this Basilica in your final embrace of God’s people,” he said.
