VATICAN CITY -- As many as 250,000 people attended the solemn funeral of Pope Francis in St Peter's square and the via della Conciliazione avenue leading to the Vatican from the Tiber, police said. In his homily, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re paid tribute to the pontiff as "a pope among the people, with an open heart towards everyone," giving himself unsparingly, "especially to the marginalised."  In an apparent rebuke of President Trump, present among the mourners, Cardinal Re recalled Francis' exhortation to "build bridges not walls." 

 After the funeral Mass, the body of the Argentine pontiff was driven through the streets of Rome in the back of an open-topped white popemobile to the Basilica of St Mary Major, the church dedicated to the virgin Mary where Francis chose to be buried.

 As many as 4000 police officers were deployed to control the crowds and protect heads of state and government from 50 countries attending the ceremonies. Diplomacy on the fringes of the farewell to Francis began before the funeral with US President Trump meeting with Ukrainian President Vlodomir Zelensky as Washington tries to cajole Kyiv into accepting its pro-Russian peace plan that would effectively recognise Moscow's seizure of Ukrainian territory by force.

 On Friday evening the pope's coffin was closed after 250,000 people filed past it in St Peter's Basilica to pay their respects following Francis' death at age 88 on Easter Monday from a stroke and heart failure.

 In his homily, Cardinal Re, the 91-year old Dean of the College of Cardinals thanked the world’s leaders for attending. “The outpouring of affection that we have witnessed in recent days following his passing from this earth into eternity tells us how much the profound pontificate of Pope Francis touched minds and hearts,” said Cardinal Re.

 “The final image we have of him, which will remain etched in our memory, is that of last Sunday, Easter Sunday, when Pope Francis, despite his serious health problems, wanted to give us his blessing from the balcony of Saint Peter’s Basilica. He then came down to this Square to greet the large crowd gathered for the Easter Mass while riding in the open-top Popemobile.”

 “With our prayers, we now entrust the soul of our beloved Pontiff to God, that he may grant him eternal happiness in the bright and glorious gaze of his immense love.”

 “Despite his frailty and suffering towards the end, Pope Francis chose to follow this path of self-giving until the last day of his earthly life. He followed in the footsteps of his Lord, the Good Shepherd, who loved his sheep to the point of giving his life for them. And he did so with strength and serenity, close to his flock, the Church of God, mindful of the words of Jesus quoted by the Apostle Paul: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).”

 “When Cardinal Bergoglio was elected by the Conclave on 13 March 2013 to succeed Pope Benedict XVI, he already had many years of experience in religious life in the Society of Jesus and, above all, was enriched by twenty-one years of pastoral ministry in the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires, first as Auxiliary, then as Coadjutor and, above all, as Archbishop.”

 “The decision to take the name Francis immediately appeared to indicate the pastoral plan and style on which he wanted to base his pontificate, seeking inspiration from the spirit of Saint Francis of Assisi.”

 “He maintained his temperament and form of pastoral leadership, and through his resolute personality, immediately made his mark on the governance of the Church. He established direct contact with individuals and peoples, eager to be close to everyone, with a marked attention to those in difficulty, giving himself without measure, especially to the marginalised, the least among us. He was a Pope among the people, with an open heart towards everyone. He was also a Pope attentive to the signs of the times and what the Holy Spirit was awakening in the Church.”

 “The guiding thread of his mission was also the conviction that the Church is a home for all, a home with its doors always open. He often used the image of the Church as a “field hospital” after a battle in which many were wounded; a Church determined to take care of the problems of people and the great anxieties that tear the contemporary world apart; a Church capable of bending down to every person, regardless of their beliefs or condition, and healing their wounds.

 His gestures and exhortations in favour of refugees and displaced persons are countless. His insistence on working on behalf of the poor was constant. It is significant that Pope Francis’ first journey was to Lampedusa, an island that symbolises the tragedy of emigration, with thousands of people drowning at sea. In the same vein was his trip to Lesbos, together with the Ecumenical Patriarch and the Archbishop of Athens, as well as the celebration of a Mass on the border between Mexico and the United States during his journey to Mexico.”

 “Of his 47 arduous Apostolic Journeys, the one to Iraq in 2021, defying every risk, will remain particularly memorable. That difficult Apostolic Journey was a balm on the open wounds of the Iraqi people, who had suffered so much from the inhuman actions of ISIS. It was also an important trip for interreligious dialogue, another significant dimension of his pastoral work. With his 2024 Apostolic Journey to four countries in Asia-Oceania, the Pope reached “the most peripheral periphery of the world.”

 “Faced with the raging wars of recent years, with their inhuman horrors and countless deaths and destruction, Pope Francis incessantly raised his voice imploring peace and calling for reason and honest negotiation to find possible solutions. War, he said, results in the death of people and the destruction of homes, hospitals and schools. War always leaves the world worse than it was before: it is always a painful and tragic defeat for everyone.

 In what some commentators said was an evident repuke of President Trump's harsh anti-migrant policies, Cardinal Re recalled that “Build bridges, not walls” was an exhortation he repeated many times, and his service of faith as Successor of the Apostle Peter always was linked to the service of humanity in all its dimensions.

 "Spiritually united with all of Christianity, we are here in large numbers to pray for Pope Francis, that God may welcome him into the immensity of his love. 

 "Pope Francis used to conclude his speeches and meetings by saying, “Do not forget to pray for me. Dear Pope Francis, we now ask you to pray for us." "

 "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.”

 jp