Pope Francis laid to rest in Rome

Pope Francis was buried inside his favourite Rome church after a funeral mass in St Peter's Square, the Vatican said.  DW’s Jack Parrock reports.

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and his family were present at the funeral of Pope Francis.

"Now Julian is free, we have all come to Rome to express our family's gratitude for the Pope's support during Julian's persecution," a message from Julian's wife, Stella Assange, said on X. 

"Our children and I had the honor of meeting Pope Francis in June 2023 to discuss how to free Julian from Belmarsh prison. Francis wrote to Julian in prison and even proposed to grant him asylum at the Vatican," the post added.    

Assange was released from the UK's Belmarsh Prison last year after he reached a plea deal with the US over violating the Espionage Act. He was accused of obtaining and disclosing sensitive documents related to US military secrets.

Assange supporters say he shed light on war crimes committed by the US military. Assange detractors say he put the lives of US informants at risk with his leaks. 

The Vatican has announced that Francis' coffin has now been entombed at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in central Rome. 

"The Pope is the first in over a century to be buried outside the Vatican, and his entombment was a private event, allowing for those closest to him to pay their respects," the official Vatican News account posted. 

Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi told Italian media that at least 400,000 people attended the funeral proceedings of Pope Francis in the Vatican and Rome. 

"We estimate not fewer than 400,000 people between those present in St. Peter's Square and those along the route," Piantedosi told Italian program TG5.  

Crowds of people attended the funeral service at the Vatican. After the service, people lined up on the streets of Rome as Francis' coffin was transported from the Vatican to to the Basilica of St. Mary Major in the Roman neighborhood of Esquilino. 

Earlier in the day, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re mentioned Pope Francis' emphasis on "bridges, not walls" during the homily. 

"Build bridges, not walls was an exhortation he repeated many times," Re said. 

Re said this as US President Donald Trump was in attendance. 

During Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, he called for the US to build a wall with Mexico as a means to curb migration.  

That year, Francis appeared to suggest that Trump was "not Christian."

"A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not of building bridges, is not Christian," Francis told journalists in 2016, seemingly in reference in Trump.  In response, Trump said it was "disgraceful" for a religious leader to question his beliefs. 

After Francis' death, Trump described the pope as a "good man" who "loved the world."  

Pope Francis' coffin has been transported to his final resting place, the church of St. Mary Major, where he will be buried in private. 

Our next editors and writers will be covering the latest news to get you up to speed with information on the late pope's funeral ceremonies and what happens next.

Large crowds thronged the streets of Rome to catch a last glimpse of Pope Francis' coffin as it made its way to St. Mary Major Basilica, his final resting place.

The pope's simple wooden coffin was visible to locals and tourists alike along the 6-kilometer (3.5-mile) route from atop a modified popemobile.

The crowd, which was tens of thousands strong, clapped and cheered "Papa Francesco."

At one point, church bells rang out as the popemobile emerged from a tunnel and crossed the Tiber River, flanked by police on motorcycles.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had a "good meeting" with US President Donald Trump at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. The two leaders were both attending the funeral of Pope Francis. 

"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 become historic, if we achieve joint results," Zelenskyy posted on X, while expressing gratitude to Trump. 

Ukrainian media earlier reported that the meeting was 15 minutes long.

The White House had described the meeting as "very productive."

The Trump administration is seeking a ceasefire deal in Ukraine. Trump earlier this week accused Zelenskyy of prolonging the war but also criticized Russia under Vladimir Putin for carrying a deadly attack in Kyiv.  

Trump has suggested that his administration may move on from Ukraine if no progress on a ceasefire is made in the near future. 

Russia's invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. 

Pope Francis' coffin has arrived at St. Mary Major Basilica, where he will be buried. The coffin was escorted by Swiss guards. 

Francis' coffin had been transported from the Vatican on the popemobile to Rome, where the basilica is located.  

The basilica is in the Rome neighborhood of Esquilino, which has a high population of people from Africa and Asia. Francis often emphasized his compassion for refugees and immigrants during his time as pope. 

Francis is the first pope to choose to be buried outside of the Vatican in over a century. 

US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were given front row seats during Pope Francis' funeral Mass at St Peter's Square.

Vatican rules for important events arrange seats for foreign dignitaries in groups according to seniority and in alphabetical order, according to their country's name in French, the global diplomatic language.

Reigning monarchs are normally seated first, followed by heads of state, heads of government, other royals and then ministers and other dignitaries.

Trump received a front row seat because the US is called Etats-Unis d'Amerique in French.

Meanwhile, Argentinian President Javier Milei, where Francis was born, got the best view of the proceedings, along with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who was representing the country that surrounds the Vatican City state.

The seating plan would likely have been a challenge for Vatican officials as former US President Joe Biden, whom Trump has fiercely criticized, was also in attendance, along with ministers from foes Iran, Russia and the heads of several countries that Trump has hit with unprecedented tariffs.

The funeral service for Pope Francis has now ended. 

The pope's coffin is now departing the Vatican on a white popemobile.

The coffin is now en route to his burial place in St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome. 

Pope Francis' coffin has been taken back into St. Peter's Basilica at the end of his funeral mass at the Vatican.

Pallbearers carried the simple wooden casket back into the basilica almost two hours after it was brought out for the open-air service in St. Peter's Square.

From there, it will be moved to the popemobile to make its way across Rome to Francis' burial place in St. Mary Major Basilica.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi endorsed a post on X from President of India Droupadi Murmu, who paid homage to Francis at the Basilica of Saint Peter in Vatican City on Friday. 

Modi wrote that India's president was paying homage to "Pope Francis on behalf of the people of India."

"The world will always remember his service to society," Modi said, referring to Francis.    

DW Instagram pulls together some pictures from this morning at St. Peter's Square, where Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re led the service to honor the life of Pope Francis.

Pope Francis' funeral is a carefully choreographed affair, with Latin chants, strictly organised seating, and use of ancient Catholic Church rites.

The Mass is being conducted in multiple languages, including Latin, the Church's official language, along with Italian, English, French, Portuguese, Polish, German, Chinese, and Arabic.

Several lay Catholic followers have taken part in the readings asking for peace, justice, and unity across the world.

The prayer givers have come from all over the world as a symbol that the Church isn't just European — it's global and diverse.

Francis made arrangements for a far simpler funeral when he revised and simplified the Vatican's traditions last year.

He has foregone the customary triple-layered papal coffins and the papal crown and will be laid to rest later in a simple wooden casket, symbolizing his Jesuit vow of poverty and commitment to humility.