{"id":234572,"date":"2025-04-26T10:39:58","date_gmt":"2025-04-26T14:39:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=234572"},"modified":"2025-04-26T10:55:37","modified_gmt":"2025-04-26T14:55:37","slug":"pope-francis-funeral-mass-underway-at-the-vatican-before-crowds-of-thousands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-francis-funeral-mass-underway-at-the-vatican-before-crowds-of-thousands\/","title":{"rendered":"Pope Francis’ funeral Mass underway at the Vatican before crowds of thousands"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a><\/div>
\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT\u2019S APP GROUP<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

CNN\u00a0\u2014<\/strong>\u00a0The bells of St. Peter\u2019s Basilica tolled to mark the end of the\u00a0funeral of Pope Francis<\/a>\u00a0in Vatican City, where tens of thousands of mourners\u00a0<\/strong>gathered to give a final send-off to a pontiff who was celebrated during the service as a champion of migrants and the poor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His funeral Mass was held on the steps of the basilica, one of the Catholic Church\u2019s most important sites, with more than 50 world leaders and 11 reigning monarchs in attendance. <\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>
\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

They included US President Donald Trump, and former President Joe Biden, Argentine President Javier Milei, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., head of the largest Catholic nation in Asia. <\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ukraine\u2019s President Volodymyr Zelensky also attended and\u00a0met with Trump<\/a>\u00a0before the funeral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The crowds that flocked to\u00a0<\/strong>St. Peter\u2019s Square for the Mass watched mostly in silence, breaking it only to sing and follow along with prayers, and to applaud when they saw Francis\u2019 coffin.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

he modest coffin was carried back into the basilica for a final time at the end of the roughly two-hour-long service, which saw him praised as a \u201cpope among the people.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was then taken in procession across the River Tiber to\u00a0<\/strong>the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore for burial, passing Rome\u2019s\u00a0<\/strong>ancient Colosseum on the way.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI loved him from the very first moment, because he was human, with such an open heart,\u201d said Anita Althaus, from Germany, just as the funeral Mass ended. She\u2019d driven overnight to make it in time.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe had love always.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250,000 people participated in the service in St. Peter\u2019s Square, according to the Vatican. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

About 150,000 more lined the 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) procession route from Vatican City through Rome to his\u00a0final resting place<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many more of the world\u2019s 1.4 billion Catholics watched the funeral for the first Latin American pope on TV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pope Francis died at the age of 88 after suffering a stroke on Easter Monday, just one day after he appeared in the same square to offer a blessing to the faithful at the high point of the Christian calendar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the days that followed, about 250,000 mourners came to pay their final respects as his body lay in state inside St. Peter\u2019s Basilica.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His coffin was officially sealed on Friday night in a liturgical rite led by the Cardinal Camerlengo Kevin Farrell, the acting head of the church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As sunlight gleamed off the massive travertine columns of St. Peter\u2019s Square on Saturday morning, the funeral Mass opened with the chant, sung in Latin: \u201cEternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Giving the homily<\/a>, Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals, said Francis\u2019 \u201cgestures and exhortations in favour of refugees and displaced persons are countless. His insistence on working on behalf of the poor was constant.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cardinal continued that, during his time as head of the Church, the pope had faced \u201craging wars, with their inhumane horrors\u201d and had \u201cincessantly raised his voice imploring peace\u2026 and inviting honest negotiation to find possible solutions.\u201d He recalled that \u201cbuild bridges, not walls\u201d was an exhortation Francis repeated many times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cardinals also delivered a short prayer in\u00a0multiple other languages<\/a>, including French, Arabic, Portuguese, Polish, German and, for the first time, Mandarin, fitting for a pope who sought to reach out to followers in all parts of the globe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In keeping with tradition, Holy Communion was distributed first among the cardinals and then among the crowd in the square.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mood became uplifting as people turned to one another to offer handshakes of peace, and crowds moved out of the way to let others pass for communion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Francis approved the order of the day back in June 2024. Some elements were pared back, as he had sought to \u201csimplify and adapt\u201d proceedings, so that the papal funeral is \u201cthat of a pastor and disciple of Christ, and not of a powerful person in this world,\u201d according to Vatican officials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Francis, who chose his name in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, with his commitment to poverty, peace and nature, also wanted to reflect his own dedication to the homeless and disadvantaged in the day\u2019s events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He believed \u201cthe poor have a privileged place in the heart of God,\u201d a Holy See statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor this reason, a group of poor and needy people will be present on the steps leading to the papal Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore to pay their last respects to Pope Francis before the burial of his coffin.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At his \u201cinsistence,\u201d groups of people Francis felt were marginalized were also invited to watch the service in St. Peter\u2019s Square.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those involved were chosen by the charity Sant\u2019Egidio, and they included the homeless, migrants, the impoverished and a group of transgender women who live in a convent in Rome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Francis will be the first pope in more than three centuries to be buried at Santa Maria Maggiore, with the interment taking place away from the public eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sister Evelyn told CNN she chose to come to Santa Maria Maggiore on Saturday instead of the Vatican because the pope\u2019s real work was among the people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI work in the periphery and when Pope Francis recognized us, we felt heard,\u201d she said of his recognition of the African church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are seen. Will the new pope still see us? That question will come after today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Francis was a pope of many firsts \u2013 the first Latin American pontiff, the first of the Jesuit order and the first modern-day pope born outside of Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elected in 2013 as an outsider candidate from Argentina, Francis went on to usher in progressive reforms, including the promotion of women\u2019s roles in the church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Divisions within the Church over same-sex relationships also persisted throughout his papacy. When asked about his position on sexual orientation, the pope famously said, \u201cWho am I to judge?\u201d He went on to authorize the blessings of same-sex couples<\/a>, although he did not formally change the Church\u2019s doctrine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And his record was disparaged by some of the more conservative cardinals and members of the Church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Francis issued a\u00a0rebuke of the Trump administration\u2019s immigration policy<\/a>\u00a0earlier this year, and criticized Vice President JD Vance\u2019s use of theology to defend its approach. ‘<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vance was one of the last people to meet with the pope, in a brief encounter on Easter Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who will be the next pope? Here are some possible candidates<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next pope will be chosen by cardinals from around the world in conclave<\/a>, a closed-door process that may see a battle play out<\/a> between those who want to continue Pope Francis\u2019 progressive path and those who want to reverse it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Candela Rodr\u00edguez, a university exchange student studying in Rome but from Seville, Spain, told CNN she hoped the next pope would be \u201csimilar to Francisco and not extravagant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And close to the people, as he was.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pope Francis \u201cdid a good job of bringing religion closer to young people\u2026 he was very progressive and tried to make the Church closer to everyone,\u201d the 21-year-old said, adding that she felt \u201cvery fortunate\u201d to be in Rome for the funeral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Catholics throughout the world have differing opinions, but many believers gathered in Vatican City \ufeffthis week told CNN that they are proud of Francis\u2019 record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe pope did a lot to put marginalized people first,\u201d said Federico Burl\u00f3n, from Argentina, as he waited to enter the colonnade of St. Peter\u2019s Square early on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very sad, but it\u2019s a celebration of his life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I hope the next pope will continue his way of turning the Church back to poor people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe was a very simple man, who loved other people,\u201d said Sister Luisa, a nun from Munich. \u201cWe feel very blessed, but also deep sorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT\u2019S APP GROUP<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT\u2019S APP GROUP<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT\u2019S APP GROUP<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT\u2019S APP GROUP<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT\u2019S APP GROUP<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT\u2019S APP GROUP<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT\u2019S APP GROUP CNN\u00a0\u2014\u00a0The bells of St. Peter\u2019s Basilica tolled to mark the end of the\u00a0funeral of Pope Francis\u00a0in Vatican City, where tens of thousands of mourners\u00a0gathered to give a final send-off to a pontiff who was celebrated during the service as a champion of migrants and the poor. His […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":234573,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-234572","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nPope Francis' funeral Mass underway at the Vatican before crowds of thousands - Antigua News Room<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-francis-funeral-mass-underway-at-the-vatican-before-crowds-of-thousands\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pope Francis' funeral Mass underway at the Vatican before crowds of thousands\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT\u2019S APP GROUP CNN\u00a0\u2014\u00a0The bells of St. Peter\u2019s Basilica tolled to mark the end of the\u00a0funeral of Pope Francis\u00a0in Vatican City, where tens of thousands of mourners\u00a0gathered to give a final send-off to a pontiff who was celebrated during the service as a champion of migrants and the poor. His […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-francis-funeral-mass-underway-at-the-vatican-before-crowds-of-thousands\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Antigua News Room\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-04-26T14:39:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-04-26T14:55:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/2025-04-26t081145z-1706617350-rc2k5eaxfey2-rtrmadp-3-pope-francis-funeral.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"anr_staff\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@AntiguaNewsRoom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AntiguaNewsRoom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"anr_staff\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-francis-funeral-mass-underway-at-the-vatican-before-crowds-of-thousands\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-francis-funeral-mass-underway-at-the-vatican-before-crowds-of-thousands\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"anr_staff\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f66ae26f5698168092c3ef9bccb12038\"},\"headline\":\"Pope Francis’ funeral Mass underway at the Vatican before crowds of thousands\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-26T14:39:58+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-26T14:55:37+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-francis-funeral-mass-underway-at-the-vatican-before-crowds-of-thousands\/\"},\"wordCount\":1402,\"commentCount\":3,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-francis-funeral-mass-underway-at-the-vatican-before-crowds-of-thousands\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1280\/h:720\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/2025-04-26t081145z-1706617350-rc2k5eaxfey2-rtrmadp-3-pope-francis-funeral.jpeg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-francis-funeral-mass-underway-at-the-vatican-before-crowds-of-thousands\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-francis-funeral-mass-underway-at-the-vatican-before-crowds-of-thousands\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-francis-funeral-mass-underway-at-the-vatican-before-crowds-of-thousands\/\",\"name\":\"Pope Francis' funeral Mass underway at the Vatican before crowds of thousands - Antigua News Room\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-francis-funeral-mass-underway-at-the-vatican-before-crowds-of-thousands\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-francis-funeral-mass-underway-at-the-vatican-before-crowds-of-thousands\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1280\/h:720\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/2025-04-26t081145z-1706617350-rc2k5eaxfey2-rtrmadp-3-pope-francis-funeral.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-26T14:39:58+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-26T14:55:37+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-francis-funeral-mass-underway-at-the-vatican-before-crowds-of-thousands\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-francis-funeral-mass-underway-at-the-vatican-before-crowds-of-thousands\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-francis-funeral-mass-underway-at-the-vatican-before-crowds-of-thousands\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1280\/h:720\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/2025-04-26t081145z-1706617350-rc2k5eaxfey2-rtrmadp-3-pope-francis-funeral.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1280\/h:720\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/2025-04-26t081145z-1706617350-rc2k5eaxfey2-rtrmadp-3-pope-francis-funeral.jpeg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":720},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-francis-funeral-mass-underway-at-the-vatican-before-crowds-of-thousands\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Pope Francis’ funeral Mass underway at the Vatican before crowds of thousands\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\",\"name\":\"Antigua News Room\",\"description\":\"News As It Happens\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Antigua Newsroom\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg\",\"width\":1260,\"height\":1260,\"caption\":\"Antigua Newsroom\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/AntiguaNewsRoom\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/antiguanewsroom\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f66ae26f5698168092c3ef9bccb12038\",\"name\":\"anr_staff\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96\",\"caption\":\"anr_staff\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/author\/anr_staff\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Pope Francis' funeral Mass underway at the Vatican before crowds of thousands - Antigua News Room","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-francis-funeral-mass-underway-at-the-vatican-before-crowds-of-thousands\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Pope Francis' funeral Mass underway at the Vatican before crowds of thousands","og_description":"CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT\u2019S APP GROUP CNN\u00a0\u2014\u00a0The bells of St. Peter\u2019s Basilica tolled to mark the end of the\u00a0funeral of Pope Francis\u00a0in Vatican City, where tens of thousands of mourners\u00a0gathered to give a final send-off to a pontiff who was celebrated during the service as a champion of migrants and the poor. His […]","og_url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-francis-funeral-mass-underway-at-the-vatican-before-crowds-of-thousands\/","og_site_name":"Antigua News Room","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom","article_published_time":"2025-04-26T14:39:58+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-04-26T14:55:37+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":720,"url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/2025-04-26t081145z-1706617350-rc2k5eaxfey2-rtrmadp-3-pope-francis-funeral.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"anr_staff","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@AntiguaNewsRoom","twitter_site":"@AntiguaNewsRoom","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"anr_staff","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-francis-funeral-mass-underway-at-the-vatican-before-crowds-of-thousands\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-francis-funeral-mass-underway-at-the-vatican-before-crowds-of-thousands\/"},"author":{"name":"anr_staff","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f66ae26f5698168092c3ef9bccb12038"},"headline":"Pope Francis’ funeral Mass underway at the Vatican before crowds of thousands","datePublished":"2025-04-26T14:39:58+00:00","dateModified":"2025-04-26T14:55:37+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-francis-funeral-mass-underway-at-the-vatican-before-crowds-of-thousands\/"},"wordCount":1402,"commentCount":3,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-francis-funeral-mass-underway-at-the-vatican-before-crowds-of-thousands\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1280\/h:720\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/2025-04-26t081145z-1706617350-rc2k5eaxfey2-rtrmadp-3-pope-francis-funeral.jpeg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-francis-funeral-mass-underway-at-the-vatican-before-crowds-of-thousands\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-francis-funeral-mass-underway-at-the-vatican-before-crowds-of-thousands\/","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-francis-funeral-mass-underway-at-the-vatican-before-crowds-of-thousands\/","name":"Pope Francis' funeral Mass underway at the Vatican before crowds of thousands - Antigua News Room","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-francis-funeral-mass-underway-at-the-vatican-before-crowds-of-thousands\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-francis-funeral-mass-underway-at-the-vatican-before-crowds-of-thousands\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1280\/h:720\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/2025-04-26t081145z-1706617350-rc2k5eaxfey2-rtrmadp-3-pope-francis-funeral.jpeg","datePublished":"2025-04-26T14:39:58+00:00","dateModified":"2025-04-26T14:55:37+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-francis-funeral-mass-underway-at-the-vatican-before-crowds-of-thousands\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-francis-funeral-mass-underway-at-the-vatican-before-crowds-of-thousands\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-francis-funeral-mass-underway-at-the-vatican-before-crowds-of-thousands\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1280\/h:720\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/2025-04-26t081145z-1706617350-rc2k5eaxfey2-rtrmadp-3-pope-francis-funeral.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1280\/h:720\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/2025-04-26t081145z-1706617350-rc2k5eaxfey2-rtrmadp-3-pope-francis-funeral.jpeg","width":1280,"height":720},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-francis-funeral-mass-underway-at-the-vatican-before-crowds-of-thousands\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Pope Francis’ funeral Mass underway at the Vatican before crowds of thousands"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/","name":"Antigua News Room","description":"News As It Happens","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization","name":"Antigua Newsroom","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg","width":1260,"height":1260,"caption":"Antigua Newsroom"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom","https:\/\/x.com\/AntiguaNewsRoom","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/antiguanewsroom\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f66ae26f5698168092c3ef9bccb12038","name":"anr_staff","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96","caption":"anr_staff"},"url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/author\/anr_staff\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234572","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=234572"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234572\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":234582,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234572\/revisions\/234582"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/media\/234573"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=234572"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=234572"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=234572"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}