Among the tens of thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square on Saturday for Pope Francis’ funeral were monarchs, world leaders, at least one former president and other familiar faces. Filling up the rows of nondescript chairs, according to Vatican protocol, reigning monarchs went first, including King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain. Then…
The honor of delivering the first reading at Pope Francis’ funeral Mass on Saturday fell to Kielce Gussie, an American who works as a reporter with Vatican News. It was, she said on social media, “a great way to say goodbye” to the pontiff. In a strong, resonant voice before the many thousands of mourners…
The life and legacy of Pope Francis — a pontiff who defied easy definition and led the Roman Catholic Church through a dozen years of different phases and contradictions — are not easy to fit into a single homily. But that was the task for Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of…
President Trump met privately with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine on Saturday in Rome, the White House said, on the sidelines of the funeral service for Pope Francis. It was the first time the two leaders had met in person since their televised argument in late February in the Oval Office that resulted in a…
The life and legacy of Pope Francis — a pontiff who defied easy definition and led the Roman Catholic Church through a dozen years of different phases and contradictions — are not easy to fit into a single homily. But that was the task for Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of…
By plane and boat, on foot and in an electric popemobile, Pope Francis traveled year after year of his papacy, reaching dozens of countries on five continents. His first official trip outside Rome was in 2013 to Lampedusa, a tiny Mediterranean island that had became a gateway for migrants. Not long afterward, he flew into…
April 26, 2025, 3:30 a.m. ET David E. Sanger David E. Sanger traveled to Rome with President Bush and former President Bill Clinton for the funeral of John Paul II in 2005. He has returned for Pope Francis’ funeral. From left, President George W. Bush, his wife Laura, former President George H.W. Bush and former…
Pope Francis’ life took him from a modest upbringing in Buenos Aires to lead the Roman Catholic Church as the first Jesuit pontiff and the first from Latin America. Across his 12 years as pope, Francis consistently elevated the causes of migrants and the disenfranchised, and pushed the church to more forcefully confront its own…
Pope Francis’ life took him from a modest upbringing in Buenos Aires to lead the Roman Catholic Church as the first Jesuit pontiff and the first from Latin America. Across his 12 years as pope, Francis consistently elevated the causes of migrants and the disenfranchised, and pushed the church to more forcefully confront its own…
A third round of talks between Iran and the United States over Tehran’s nuclear activities was planned for Saturday, raising hopes for a new accord that could avert another conflict in the Middle East. “I think we’re going to make a deal with Iran. Nobody else could do that,” President Trump said in an interview…
