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President Trump Makes First International Trip To Honor Pope Francis At Vatican Funeral

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April 26, 2025
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President Trump Makes First International Trip To Honor Pope Francis At Vatican Funeral

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump joined dozens of world leaders and hundreds of thousands of other well-wishers packing Saint Peter’s Square for Saturday’s Solemn Requiem Mass for Pope Francis.

The spiritual shepherd of the world’s 1.39 billion Catholics died Monday at the age of 88 due to a “stroke, followed by a coma and irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse,” according to the director of the Directorate of Health and Hygiene of the Vatican City State. His death occurred only hours following a private meeting with Vice President JD Vance — who is Catholic — and a public appearance to and blessing of an estimated 50,000 attendees of Easter Sunday Mass in Saint Peter’s Square.

The funeral Mass was celebrated by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals. About 250 other members of the upper echelon of the Church’s hierarchy joined more than 750 bishops and priests, as well as scores of consecrated religious, in leading the faithful gathered in the Square and watching worldwide to say farewell to the 266th supreme pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. In a final tribute to the late Holy Father and his wishes for a Church which welcomes “everyone, everyone, everyone,” the attendees present hailed from all geographic, cultural, social and political backgrounds. Furthermore, the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication provided live radio and television commentary in 15 languages, in addition to multimedia coverage offered in 56 languages. More than 4,000 journalists also reportedly requested media accreditation from the Holy See to cover the event.

The papal funeral liturgy followed the instructions laid out in “Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis,” the Vatican’s official liturgical text for papal funerals, updated in 2024 at Pope Francis’s request. The Holy Father also issued a June 29, 2022 spiritual testament detailing his burial wishes, which was released Monday by the Vatican.

Not since the April 8, 2005 funeral Mass of Pope Saint John Paul II was the attention of the entire world drawn to the death and succession of a reigning pope, the last absolute monarch in Europe. The occasion also marked the first time the translation of the mortal remains of a Vicar of Christ to a non-Vatican location for burial was broadcast live globally.

At least 130 nations and international organizations sent delegations, including 12 reigning monarchs, 55 heads of state, 14 heads of government and other officials, according to Vatican News. Among those heads of state attending the funeral were Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the UK’s Prince William and Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Argentinian President Javier Milei. Former President Joe Biden also attended the funeral Mass with his wife, Jill.

The solemn occasion took place amid against a backdrop of global turmoil and conflict, both armed and rhetorical. In their first in-person meeting following a passionate Feb. 28 argument in the Oval Office, Trump met with Zelenskyy before the liturgy and had “a very productive discussion,” according to the White House. The other world leaders also turned to each other to offer greetings and embrace during the Mass’s usual sign of peace rite.

As was the case during his first term as president, Trump had planned on making his first international trip to Saudi Arabia in May — he met Pope Francis during the third leg of that trip in 2017 and expressed after their 30-minute meeting, “I won’t forget what you said.” The pope’s funeral, however, made the tiny Catholic city state his first destination of his second term, a striking similarity to his return to the international stage at a Catholic event when attending the Dec. 8, 2024 reopening of France’s Notre Dame Cathedral as president-elect. (RELATED: ‘A Very Special Day For All’: Trump Returns To World Stage, Joins Reopening Celebrations At Notre Dame Cathedral)

“Brothers and sisters, Happy Easter!” the convalescing pope delighted the crowd in what would be his final public remarks. In what would also be his last public outing and ride in the popemobile, His Holiness took time to greet the faithful and embraced members of the crowd, including children.

“Thank you for bringing me back to the Square,” the pope later reportedly told his nurse, Massimilano Strappetti, after asking if he thought he could “manage” the surprise trip. Following a period of rest and a quiet dinner Sunday, the pope’s condition began to deteriorate around 5:30 a.m. local time, prompting a rapid medical response. With a final gesture of the hand to Strappetti, Francis fell into a coma — reportedly without suffering — and departed this life at 7:35 a.m.

The sudden death of Pope Francis marks a stark turn from the summit of the Church’s liturgical joy with the ongoing Easter Octave and Jubilee Year of Hope celebrations. While the former focuses on the resurrection of Jesus Christ, a somber tone is nonetheless palpable, as the Vicar of Christ — not without his critics — commanded enormous respect and popularity among the faithful and observers worldwide.

Before the funeral Mass, the body of the late pope was moved from among the Vatican grottoes to lie in state in St. Peter’s Basilica, where a continuous stream of the faithful paid their final respects from Wednesday morning until Friday evening. Their sheer numbers also prevented the Vatican from enforcing the planned daily closure of the church at midnight, which was only briefly closed around 5:30 a.m. for about an hour-and-a-half.

Following the funeral, the pope’s simple zinc-lined wooden coffin was slowly escorted about two-and-a-half miles to the newly constructed tomb for his burial in the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major. Following Vatican custom, the face of the pontiff was covered with a silk cloth and he was buried with a bag of coins and medals minted during his papacy. Seven other popes are buried in the famous church, known as a favorite pilgrimage site for Pope Francis to visit before and after his 47 apostolic journeys and medical procedures. There, a group of poor and marginalized people — representing those especially dear in the pope’s heart — led those extending a final welcome to his mortal remains as the Sistine Chapel choir sang before the private burial.

The funeral kicks off the nine days of Masses offered for the repose of his soul, known as the Novendiales. Each day, a cardinal chosen by the late pope presides over a Requiem Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.

The cardinals will continue to meet — many for the first time — in General Congregations and are responsible for the day-to-day management of the Church. They will remain in Vatican City to start the secretive ancient process to elect the next pope, the papal conclave.

Currently, 135 of the 235 cardinals — 108 of which have been created by Pope Francis —  are eligible to gather in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican for the election process. Only those under the age of 80 may submit a ballot naming their preferred candidate. Ballots are burned after each round; the color of the resulting smoke from arguably the world’s most famous chimney atop the Sistine Chapel signifies the outcome: black for an inconclusive vote or white for a successful vote.

The conclave is expected to begin in early May.

Note: this breaking news report has been updated with additional details.



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