Pope Francis' funeral held in Vatican with leaders of a number of countries

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - International Service: The funeral of Pope Francis, the leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, was held today (Saturday) in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican with a crowd of mourners and dozens of international officials.

 

Officials from more than 150 countries attended the ceremony. The presidents of Argentina, France, Gabon, Germany, the Philippines, Poland and Ukraine were among the guests of the ceremony, along with the prime ministers of England and New Zealand. Current US President Donald Trump and his predecessor Joe Biden were also seen in St. Peter's Square with their spouses.

 

Seyyed Abbas Salehi, Iran's Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, also attended the Pope's funeral in Rome on behalf of the Iranian government.

 

A Reuters report said 220 cardinals, 750 bishops and more than 4,000 priests attended the 90-minute ceremony.

 

Thousands of mourners had gathered at the Vatican since early morning and camped out near the square. The Vatican had said some 250,000 Catholics were expected to attend the pope's funeral.

 

The Argentine pontiff, who had been recovering from pneumonia, died on Monday at the age of 88 after suffering a stroke.

 

Over the past three days, some 250,000 people have paid their respects to his body, which lay in an open casket in front of the altar of St. Peter's Basilica.

 

Francis, the first non-European pope in nearly 13 centuries, has spent 12 years leading the Catholic Church, working hard to reform it and support the poor and marginalized. He has also challenged rich countries to help migrants and reverse global warming.

 

He will also be the first pope to be buried outside the Vatican in more than a century. He had chosen Rome's Basilica of St. Mary Major, about 3.4 miles (5.5 kilometers) from St. Peter's Square, as his burial place.

 

Italy has been carrying out one of its biggest security operations since the funeral of Pope John Paul II in recent days. The country has closed its airspace over Vatican City and called in extra security forces, including anti-aircraft missiles and patrol boats, to protect the event.