Pope Francis laid to rest: Over 400,000 attend funeral in Vatican

The funeral of Catholic Christians’ spiritual leader, Pope Francis, was held in Vatican City, attended by more than 400,000 people from around the world.

Global leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky participated in the funeral rites.

From Pakistan, Member of Punjab Assembly Shakeela Javed Arthur, Reverend Javed Sylvester (PCB), Reverend Shafan Sabir (Secretary, Sialkot Diocese, Church of Pakistan), Reverend Sharon Fazal, and Pastor Mark Henry were present at the ceremony.

In addition, Pastor Ilyas Gul, Babu Yousuf Charles, Babu Shehbaz Gulzar, Babu Julius, Babu Daud, Babu Chand, Babu Suleman, journalist Asif Nazir, Professor Arif Bhatti, Younas Bhatti, Maryam Yousuf, Zafar Gul, Dr. Razaq, journalist Danish Khan, Sunny Yaqoob, and UB Arthur, along with a large number of Christian community members from Pakistan, also attended the funeral.

The funeral was held at the historic Saint Peter’s Basilica, where special prayers and religious rites were performed in accordance with Christian traditions. Before the ceremony began, the bells of Saint Peter’s Basilica were rung.

Security was significantly tightened across Vatican City, with 2,000 police personnel deployed to ensure safety.

After the completion of the funeral rites, Pope Francis’ coffin was moved from Saint Peter’s Basilica to Saint Peter’s Square. He was later buried at the Santa Maria Maggiore cemetery.