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Pope Francis
Laid To Rest In Rome
… Trump & Melania Attend Funeral
Published April 26, 2025 5:28 AM PDT
| Updated April 26, 2025 6:01 AM PDT
Pope Francis has been laid to rest, with President Trump and Melania among those attending his funeral in Rome from a prominent position.
The pontiff, who frequently disagreed with Trump’s policies on issues such as immigration and climate change, was interred Saturday morning in a relatively unadorned coffin at the Basilica of St. Mary Major. This followed a funeral mass held at St. Peter’s Square, where over a quarter of a million mourners gathered, as reported by Vatican News.
Pope Francis is the first pope in over a century to be buried outside the Vatican, the last being Leo XIII, who passed away in 1903.
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, led the funeral mass and will play a key role in the upcoming selection of Francis’s successor.
The notable attendees included Trump, Melania, Joe and Jill Biden, Prince William, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, as well as Argentinian President Javier Milei.
Good meeting. We discussed a lot one on one. Hoping for results on everything we covered. Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out. Very symbolic meeting that has potential to… pic.twitter.com/q4ZhVXCjw0
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 26, 2025
@ZelenskyyUa
Shortly before the funeral commenced, Trump and Zelensky held a meeting at the Vatican. Zelensky characterized the discussion as “good” and emphasized its symbolic significance, expressing gratitude to Trump for the opportunity to converse.
Prior to his passing, Pope Francis requested a modest tomb, stating it should be “in the ground; simple, without particular decoration, and with the sole inscription: Franciscus.”
The funeral marks the beginning of the Novemdiales, a nine-day mourning period featuring special masses each day.
The College of Cardinals will gather next month to elect a new pope. The conclave is slated to commence 15 to 20 days after the death of a pope, placing the anticipated start date between May 6 and May 11.
Source
www.tmz.com