Pope Francis funeral as it happened: Head of Catholic Church laid to rest in private burial; Trump and Zelensky pictured meeting at St Peter’s Basilica (2025)

Eastern Catholic patriarchs and major archbishops have gathered near the Pope’s casket.

They chanted funeral prayers from the Byzantine tradition.

The coffin will now be sprinkled with holy water (a reminder of baptism) and censed (a symbol of prayer wafting to heaven).

The Prince of Wales spoke briefly to US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump as he made his way into the service, Kensington Palace says.

William, who is representing King Charles III, also spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron before taking his seat, the BBC reports.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has attended the funeral of Pope Francis alongside his wife and children.

“Now Julian is free, we have all come to Rome to express our family’s gratitude for the Pope’s support during Julian’s persecution,” his wife Stella Assange said in a message shared by WikiLeaks on X.

“Our children and I had the honour of meeting Pope Francis in June 2023 to discuss how to free Julian from Belmarsh prison. Francis wrote to Julian in prison and even proposed to grant him asylum at the Vatican.”

Julian Assange had lived in the Ecuadorian embassy in London from 2012 until his asylum was withdrawn in 2019, and he was then imprisoned in the UK after being found guilty of breaching bail. He left prison in June last year.

The final commendation and farewell for Pope Francis has begun.

With Holy Communion distributed, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re has now bade farewell to Pope Francis and commended him to God, a key part of the funeral Mass that is nearing its end.

The mourners are now singing the litany of the saints.

US President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron have shaken hands, as worshippers are encouraged to exchange a sign of peace.

Priests are now distributing Holy Communion to those at the mass who are in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church.

While not everyone will receive communion, with more than 200,000 people in attendance it is a big logistical exercise.

The cardinals have also received the blood of Christ - the wine.

Vatican City: In a powerful and at times pointed homily, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re honoured the life and legacy of Pope Francis — while appearing to take a subtle swipe at US President Donald Trump.

Speaking before a sea of mourners in St Peter’s Square, the Dean of the College of Cardinals recalled Pope Francis’s enduring call to compassion and unity.

“‘Build bridges, not walls’ was an exhortation he repeated many times,” Re said, in what many observers interpreted as a thinly veiled reference to Trump’s immigration policies and his long-standing push to build a wall along the US-Mexico border.

Trump and his wife Melania were seated in the front rows, listening intently as Re praised Francis’s global outreach and humanity. “His service of faith… was always linked to the service of humanity in all its dimensions,” the cardinal said.

The homily concluded with a touching nod to the late pontiff’s familiar request: “Do not forget to pray for me.” Re added, “Now, dear Pope Francis, we ask you to pray for us… bless the Church, bless Rome, and bless the whole world.“

Re’s mention of Francis celebrating Mass on the US-Mexico border drew audible applause from the crowd.