Royals, dignitaries and world leaders have joined thousands of mourners in the Vatican for the funeral of Pope Francis. Follow the latest below.
Saturday 26 April 2025 10:36, UK
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Live reporting by Ollie CooperandBhvishya Patel
In case you weren’t aware, world leaders have been seated according to the first letter of their nation alphabetically…
… in French – the language of diplomacy.
So that means that the United States (États-Unis) aren’t near Ukraine (spelled the same as in English) – as we would have expected if it was arranged by the English language – meaning Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump have some distance between them.
All the same, Trump finds himself surrounded by some of Ukraine’s strongest allies.
Behind him sits Polish President Andrzej Duda, and to his right is France’s Emmanuel Macron and Finland’s Alexander Stubb.
We reported earlier that Trump and Zelenskyy met before the funeral, and will meet again later.
Here are some of the scenes emerging from St Peter’s Square this morning.
Tens of thousands are packed in the square as the service continues.
The congregation are now invited to offer the sign of peace – by shaking each other’s hands.
It’s the final step before Holy Communion (via the bread and wine, or body and blood of Christ) is offered to the congregation.
Cameras quickly pan to the US president, who, after a short pause and a word from Melania, begins shaking hands with other world leaders around him – including Emmanuel Macron.
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re now breaks bread in front of the crowds, to officially consecrate it – ie, to make it holy.
He then takes his chalice of wine and raises it in front of the crowds.
It’s part of every Catholic mass – when the bread and wine, by the words of Jesus spoken by the priest and the invocation of the Holy Spirit, become the body and blood of Christ.
Right now, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re is conducting the Eucharistic prayer.
As he speaks, many are wiping away the tears that spilled down cheeks during the cardinal’s homily.
There’s clearly a lot of emotion on display among the 200,000 that have packed into the Vatican’s streets.
The Liturgy of the Eucharist has now begun.
It’s a celebration of the Last Supper, where Jesus broke bread and shared a cup of wine with his disciples.
It begins with an offertory chant that accompanies the procession that brings the bread and wine to the altar.
It’s the centre of all Roman Catholic masses.
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re wraps up this homily.
“May you bless the Church, bless Rome, and bless the whole world from heaven as you did last Sunday from the balcony of this Basilica in a final embrace with all the people of God, but also embrace humanity that seeks the truth with a sincere heart and holds high the torch of hope,” he says.
The conclusion of his short speech is met by a respectful applause.
Next up is the universal prayer.
By Adam Parsons, Europe correspondent, in St Peter’s Square
The weather is gorgeous – sunny, warm with barely a cloud in the sky and a wisp of wind.
A few hours later and it would have been too hot.
But now it’s perfect.
The atmosphere is respectful and attentive.
Most people are following events by watching a big screen. But just about no one is filming events on a mobile phone.
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re is still delivering the homily to the thousands in the square and says Pope Francis “reached people’s hearts in a direct and immediate way”.
“Th guiding thread of his mission was the conviction that the church is a home for all,” he says.
“A home with its doors always open.”
He also says Francis’s gestures in favour of refugees and displaced people are “countless”.
He goes on to say Francis “incessantly raised his voice” when it came to wars.
“War always leaves the world worse than it was before,” he says.
“Build bridges not wars was an exhortation he repeated many times.”
Watch a clip here…
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