WORLD leaders and thousands of mourners are in attendance as the funeral ceremony of the late Pope Francis concludes at the Vatican on Saturday, April 26.

As of the time of filing this report, the body has been taken over the River Tiber to be buried in a tomb in Rome’s Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore.

Thousands of people had gathered at the funeral, which took place in St. Peter’s Square and lasted about two hours. It was punctuated with an elaborate set of rituals at the square, six days after the first Latin American pontiff made his final public appearance for Easter.

Among the world leaders that graced the funeral are the United States President Donald Trump and his Ukraine counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky.

Also at the funeral were Germany’s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Germany’s outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

The ICIR earlier reported that Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, led the Nigerian delegation to honour the ceremony.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, one of the most senior figures in the Catholic Church, conducted the funeral mass celebration.

In his sermon at the funeral mass, the  91-year-old Italian Cardinal honoured Francis’s ability to lead with “an open heart towards everyone” describing him as a “pope among the people,” CNN reported.

Following his funeral at St Peter’s Square on Saturday, Pope Francis’s coffin was taken to the Vatican on a white popemobile.

Thousands of people lined the streets along the route as the coffin was driven across Rome to its final resting place at the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica.

The Argentine pontiff, who died on Monday aged 88, sought to steer the centuries-old Church into a more inclusive direction during his 12-year papacy.

The ICIR reported on Monday, April 21, that the Vatican announced the passing of the latter Pope Francis on Monday while the global Christian community continued the 2025 Easter celebration.

The Vatican’s Cardinal Kevin Farrell, while announcing his death in a statement, said, “Dear brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow, I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis.

“At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. His whole life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and His Church. He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage and universal love, especially in favour of the poorest and most marginalised.

“With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the Triune God.”