Royals, dignitaries and world leaders have joined hundreds of thousands of mourners for the funeral of Pope Francis. Follow the latest below.
Saturday 26 April 2025 12:28, UK
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Live reporting by Ollie CooperandBhvishya Patel
Tens of thousands descended upon The Vatican for the Pope’s funeral today, joining world leaders and clergy from around the world to pay their final respects.
Now, the Pope’s coffin is inside Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, a church a short distance away in Rome, where a private burial is being held.
It follows an emotional ceremony in St Peter’s Square, which saw around 200,000 people in attendance.
Here are some of the key images from the day so far…
The public access to today’s proceedings has now come to an end with the arrival of Pope Francis’s coffin to his final resting place.
The pontiff will now be buried in Rome’s Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.
Neither the media nor the public are allowed to attend proceedings from here, but later on, there will be a rosary service which is open to both.
Stay with us for more live updates.
Here are the final pictures coming through to us before the Pope’s final burial service begins at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.
The private burial ceremony will allow those closest to him to pay their respects.
Donald Trump is on his way back to the US.
The US president squeezed in a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni before heading to Fiumicino Airport.
It’s unclear if he met again with Volodymyr Zelenskyy after their chat inside St Peter’s Basilica this morning.
The Pope’s coffin has arrived at Rome’s Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore – the pontiff’s final resting place.
His coffin is carried off the Popemobile and placed in front of the church before being carried in head first surrounded by members of the clergy.
The entombment will be a private event and a chance for those closest to him to pay their last respects.
Here’s a view of the basilica from the inside:
The coffin is now passing the Colosseum, at the centre of the city of Rome.
It will soon be approaching the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.
Watch the moment here…
An interesting bit of detail regarding the security operation today, which as we’ve already reported, is extensive.
Italy’s interior ministry is telling Sky News that a police officer or soldier is deployed every 10 metres along this 6km route that the coffin of Pope Francis is being transported.
Five police helicopters are also patrolling the skies, with a no-fly zone in place above the Italian capital for anyone not working as part of the security team.
The Pope’s coffin is now in central Rome and bells can be heard ringing in the distance.
The thousands along the streets continue to clap as the coffin is driven through the city.
By Adam Parsons, Europe correspondent, in St Peter’s Square
Within minutes of the funeral service ending, St Peter’s Square is being cleared of people.
It’s going to be cleaned up and then reopened to the public later this afternoon
By Anna Botting, Sky News presenter in Rome
Before 250,000 people in St Peter’s Square and beyond, beneath sunlit blue skies, beside leaders, cardinals and the clergy who called Pope Francis their father – the life of a man who championed the people, the poor, and those at the periphery was celebrated.
After the service, he was returned to the heart of the Catholic Church – St Peter’s Basilica – before this procession through the streets of Rome, which will pass the Roman Colosseum, towards the Papal Basilica, beloved by this Pope, Santa Maria Maggiore.
A tomb of Ligurian marble, made from the land of his grandfather – an emigrant to Argentina – the place Pope Francis used to call home, awaits him.
His 12-year papacy challenged many in the church, his informality and humour brought a smile to those he met, the issues he raised encouraged the young.
Amid his lasting message of reconciliation and peace, his horror of war – “a painful and tragic defeat for everyone” – a meeting took place between Presidents Trump and Zelenskyy.
Ukraine and the war in Gaza have very much dominated the foreign focus of the Pope’s final years.
We are, he would say (and as we heard again today), part of the same human family.
Nine days of mourning are now officially under way.
His legacy will be dwelt upon, as cardinals (many appointed by Francis) reconvene for the conclave who wrestle with the future – the new direction for their church.
A church with 2,000 years of history.
This is a funeral in a deeply historic setting and we’ve witnessed a fitting send-off to mark the end of this life on earth – for Jorge Bergoglio, Pope Francis – the 266th successor to St Peter.
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