Trump, Zelenskyy among 200,000 mourners at Pope Francis’s funeral

President Myriam Spiteri Debono, Prime Minister Robert Abela, and Opposition Leader Bernard Grech were among the 200,000 mourners gathered in Vatican City for the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday.

Anthony Spiteri Debono and Lydia Abela also accompanied the Maltese delegation, following an invitation from the Vatican State.

The Holy See Press Office confirmed that approximately 200,000 people filled St Peter’s Square and the surrounding areas to bid farewell to the 266th pontiff.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, presided over the  funeral Mass for Pope Francis, who led the Catholic Church for 12 years.

World leaders travelled from across the globe, making this one of the largest gatherings in Vatican City since the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005. 

Among the attendees were President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, Argentina’s President Javier Milei, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and former United States President Joe Biden, accompanied by former First Lady Jill Biden.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also attended. Before the funeral, he briefly met with Trump, and the two are expected to hold further talks later today, their first meeting since talks at the White House last February.

Security in Rome was exceptionally tight, with Italian police and military forces setting up a wide security perimeter around the Vatican City, including along the banks of the Tiber river.

Pope Francis’s coffin emerged from St Peter’s Basilica shortly after 10am. A heavy silence fell over the crowd before mourners broke into applause, a final tribute to the late pope.

Pope Francis will be buried at the Basilica of St Mary Major, according to his public wishes, marking a departure from the tradition of burial in the Vatican grottoes. 

His funeral also begins the "Novendiales," nine consecutive days of mourning prayers for his soul.