A general view of Pope Francis' funeral ceremony at St Peter's Square in the Vatican on April 26, 2025. (Photo by Tiziana FABI / AFP)
Vatican City: Tens of thousands of mourners and world leaders including US President Donald Trump packed St Peter's Square on Saturday for the funeral of Pope Francis, the champion of the poor and the Catholic Church's first Latin American leader.
Some waited overnight to get a seat for the ceremony, with police reporting some 150,000 people in the square and surrounding streets even before proceedings began at 10am (0900 GMT).
The crowds cheered and applauded as the pope's coffin was brought out of St Peter's Basilica into the square.
Many of the more than 50 heads of state attending the funeral had entered the Basilica beforehand to pay their respects at the coffin of the Argentine pontiff, who died on Monday aged 88.
Guests included Argentina's President Javier Milei and Britain's Prince William as well as Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky -- who met Trump on the sidelines, according to a Ukrainian spokesperson.
Francis sought to steer the centuries-old Church into a more inclusive direction during his 12-year papacy, and his death prompted a global outpouring of emotion.
"He was not just the pope, he was what the definition of being human is," said Andrea Ugalde, 39, who flew from Los Angeles to attend Saturday's mass.
Italian and Vatican authorities have mounted a major security operation for the ceremony, with fighter jets on standby and snipers positioned on roofs surrounding the tiny city state.
But the massive crowd was largely silent as they waited, watching proceedings on several large screens around the square.
"We spent the whole night here in the car with the children," said Peruvian Gabriela Lazo, 41.
"We are very sorry for what happened to him because we hold a South American pope in our hearts."
The funeral sets off the first of nine days of official Vatican mourning for Francis, who took over following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI in 2013.
After the mourning, cardinals will gather for the conclave to elect a new pope to lead the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.
