World leaders including President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden convened in Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis.
Other world leaders in attendance included include UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Britain’s Prince William, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres, French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In all, more than a quarter-million people gathered in St. Peterâs Square for Pope Francisâ funeral on Saturday, April 26. After the two-hour service, Francis was laid to rest in a private, religious afternoon ceremony within the Basilica of Saint Mary Major.
Trump and Pope Francis had clashed over the president’s plans to deport millions of migrants from the U.S., with the pope calling Trump’s plan a “major crisis” for the United States back in January.
President Donald Trump and Finland’s President Alexander Stubb attend the funeral Mass of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, April 26, 2025.© Nathan Howard, Reuters
President Trump met with Zelenskyy at the funeral in Rome. White House communications director Steven Cheung said the two “met privately today and had a very productive discussion.” A spokesman for Zelenskyy said the meeting lasted about 15 minutes.
President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet during the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican April 26, 2025.© Ukrainian Presidential Press Service, via Reuters
Former President Biden and former first lady Jill Biden sat farther back among the attendees. Biden, a devout Catholic, had been scheduled to travel to Rome to meet with Pope Francis near the end of his presidency, but canceled the trip to remain focused on devastating wildfires in Los Angeles.
Former President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden sit with other attendees ahead of the late Pope Francis’ funeral ceremony at St. Peter’s Square at The Vatican on April 26, 2025.© Mandel Ngan, AFP via Getty Images
Biden was only the second Catholic president elected to office following John F. Kennedy, who was the first Catholic president after being elected in 1960.
Former President Joe Biden at the funeral Mass of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, April 26, 2025.© Nathan Howard, Reuters
