Laura Gozzi
Reporting from Rome

Hearing the languages of the world mingle with the thick Roman accents of the locals, I wondered whether this is what Rome felt like during a papal death in centuries gone by.

Visitors today arrive with modern means - Ryanair flights or private jets, depending on their status - rather than on foot or horseback, of course.

But the crowd today bid farewell to Pope Francis as other crowds have done for centuries with other popes.

They sang the same hymns that generations of Catholics have sung before under the same colonnades, looking up at the same basilica that bears the name of St Peter, the first pope.

The Catholic Church is rich with tradition.

Even with the changes requested by the pope to simplify his funeral rite, today that tradition was upheld in full.

We're now ending our live coverage, thanks for joining us. You can read more from Laura as she takes a look back at the day that Pope Francis was laid to rest.

Image source, Reuters

In St Peter's Square, 250,000 mourners attended the funeral of Pope Francis to pay their final respects.

The powerful and the marginalised were brought together to say a final farewell to a man who "touched minds and hearts" and wanted to "build bridges, not walls", as Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re said of Francis during the service.

World leaders, including Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky, joined an estimated 400,000 mourners who lined the streets of Rome and gathered in the Vatican.

In Argentina, South Korea, and many other parts of the globe, Catholics mourned the late Pope in churches, Cathedrals and public spaces.

After the funeral, a sombre procession through Rome's streets led Pope Francis to Santa Maria Maggiore basilica - a 4th century church in Rome. He had requested this be his final resting point, making him the first pope not to be buried in St Peter's Basilica in over 100 years.

Nine days of mourning known as Novemdiales now begins, with a mass held every day in Francis' memory.

Attention now turns to who the next Pope will be, in our previous post we explained how the process works.

We'll soon be ending our live coverage, but our final post of this historic day - coming next - is from our reporter Laura Gozzi in Rome.

Image source, EPA

In the 15 to 20 days following the burial of Pope Francis the College of Cardinals will summon the cardinals to Rome to elect the next pope.

The conclave will see them gather in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel. Once the cardinals have entered, they cannot communicate with the outside world until a new pope is chosen.

The cardinals must be under 80 years old to vote, meaning only 135 of the 252 cardinals will be eligible.

A new pope requires a two-thirds majority but this can take time.

One round of voting is done on the first afternoon of the conclave, and then voting will happen up to four times every day afterwards.

If the conclave completes its third day without reaching a decision, cardinals may pause for a day of prayer before resuming voting.

If no decision is made after 33 rounds, there'll be a run-off between the two most voted candidates - but one of them will still need to get two-thirds of the vote to be elected Pope.

• For more on this story, we have a closer look at how the next Pope is chosen

Marco Oriunto
BBC Africa

"There is no doubt the world has lost a champion in mercy, a champion in one who cares,” Kenyan Archbishop Anthony Muheria says following Pope Francis' funeral.

For Francis, the issue of dignity for migrants was hugely important throughout his papacy.

“In Kenya, we've seen what has happened in South Sudan," he continues - referring to the civil war that gripped South Sudan for many years.

"We try to welcome them," he says in reference to migrants entering Kenya from neighbouring countries, "but perhaps we don't treat them as humanely as we should".

“It's not just about welcoming them, but restoring dignity”.

Image source, EPA

We're hearing more now from the Vatican, which has shared more details about the burial of Pope Francis.

They say he has been laid to rest "in the side aisle of the Basilica of St Mary Major, between the Pauline Chapel, where his beloved icon of Our Lady ‘Salus Populi Romani’ is located, and the Sforza Chapel."

The Pope's burial rite was preceded by the singing of four psalms before a final prayer was spoken.

His coffin was placed in the tomb and sprinkled with holy water while the Regina Caeli, a prayer usually sung to express joy at Eastertime, was chanted.

The Vatican details the "final formality" of the burial, as the notary of the Liberian Chapter read the act certifying the burial to those present.

We're now seeing aerial images taken from above St Peter's Square during Pope Francis' funeral.

The Vatican earlier confirmed that 250,000 people attended the funeral in and around St Peter's Square - here's what that looks like from above.

Image source, Maxar Technologies / EPA

Image source, Maxar Technologies / EPA

We're hearing now from Northern Ireland's First Minister Michelle O'Neill who attended Pope Francis' funeral this morning.

O'Neill tells the BBC it was a "huge honour" to be there representing "all those people at home who looked towards him for spiritual leadership".

Just under half of people in Northern Ireland are Catholic, according to the nation's 2021 census.

She describes the event as a "huge historic moment", after cutting short a family holiday to attend.

"I wanted to be here, I sought an invitation to be here," she says.

Bernie Allen
Reporting from Belfast

In Belfast, Northern Ireland, mass-goers at Clonard Monastery in the west of the city have been paying tribute to the late pope.

Briege Chambers, who watched the funeral, says the atmosphere was "absolutely magnificent, we could feel it even though we weren’t present in Rome at the time, but I think it radiated out.”

“It was very sad, but everybody has to die, don’t they?" says another churchgoer, Bridie McCabe.

A third, Rosa, says: “When any pope dies, I think there are a lot of people who want to pay their respects. But particularly this man."

As world leaders, royalty, and 400,000 mourners lined the streets of Rome and gathered in St Peter's Square, Catholics across the globe bid goodbye to Pope Francis.

In Argentina, South Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo and many other parts of the world people watched the funeral from churches, Cathedrals and public spaces.

And, in Manchester, England, some mourners followed along with the funeral from a hair salon.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, EPA

Image source, EPA

Daniel Wittenberg
Reporting from Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica

Outside the Santa Maria Maggiore basilica, where Pope Francis’ coffin has just been interred, the square is still busy with people pausing to reflect or take photographs.

Some were here earlier to watch his coffin arrive at its final resting place. Others have made their way here since, wanting to pay their respects, even though the church remains closed to the public.

"We felt blessed to be here," says Grace, 20, a dance teacher from Colchester, who happened to have booked a hotel overlooking the basilica with her boyfriend Frankie long before the Pope’s death.

"It was really quiet as his coffin was arriving. Everyone was just praying or reflecting. It was nice to be part of something so special. We saw how much it meant to everyone," she adds.

A group of friends proudly wearing Argentina football shirts, all living in Rome, felt they had to come here today to honour the first Latin American Pope.

"We decided to come here as Argentinians to bring Francis our condolences and accompany him to his tomb," Augustin tells me.

"It is such a huge loss for us," he says. "But now we know he is resting in peace in a place he chose."

"Francis was a very humble person with a big heart who helped many people. It is a very sad day, not only for us Argentinians, but for the whole world."

Image source, EPA

French President Emmanuel Macron says he had a "very positive exchange" with his Ukrainian counterpart when the pair met at Pope Francis' funeral.

Zelensky told Macron that Ukraine is "ready for an unconditional ceasefire", adding that "ending the war in Ukraine is the goal we share with President Trump".

In a post on X, Macron says it is now up to Russian President Vladimir Putin to "prove that he really wants peace".

"We will continue our work within the framework of the coalition of the willing launched in Paris last March, to achieve both this ceasefire and a complete and lasting peace in Ukraine," Macron adds.

Image source, EPA

In the past few moments, Donald Trump has taken to Truth Social, saying "there was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas" after 12 people were killed by Russian strikes in Kyiv earlier this week.

The US president adds: "It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through 'Banking' or 'Secondary Sanctions?'"

Before the Pope's funeral, Trump briefly met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Vatican - the details of what was discussed remain unclear. Earlier, Zelensky said the meeting "has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results".

In a statement, the Vatican says Pope Francis' coffin has been entombed in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in central Rome.

"The Pope is the first in over a century to be buried outside the Vatican, and his entombment was a private event, allowing for those closest to him to pay their respects," the statement adds.

The Vatican has just confirmed that Pope Francis has been buried at Santa Maria Maggiore basilica, which sits outside the Vatican walls in the centre of Rome.

Image source, Vatican Media

Image source, Vatican Media

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

At least 400,000 people gathered in Vatican City for Pope Francis' funeral and lined the streets to watch his coffin being taken to the Santa Maria Maggiore church for burial, according to Italy's interior minister.

"We estimate not fewer than 400,000 people between those present in St Peter's Square and those along the route," Matteo Piantedosi tells Italian news programme TG5.

Paul Kirby
Europe digital editor

Image source, Andrii Sybiha/X

Zelensky's round of diplomatic meetings on the sidelines of Pope Francis' funeral has continued with a chat with Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Earlier, the UK prime minister was seen standing with Zelensky, Donald Trump and France's Emmanuel Macron inside St Peter's Basilica - minutes before the Pope's funeral was about to start.

Trump and Zelensky were filmed by White House staffer Dan Scavino walking together towards some chairs, escorted by Vatican officials. Macron briefly joined them before the pair sat down.

After Trump's team headed straight for the airport, Zelensky then met Macron and Starmer again - separately. As he walked with Starmer, he was asked by a Ukrainian reporter how the talks with Trump had gone.

"Really we had a productive meeting. I don't want to go into a lot of details if it's possible because [they are] very sensitive questions on, of course, totally on how to bring peace closer," he said.

They had also discussed recent meetings involving European and Ukrainian officials in Paris and London: "And we want to continue such meetings to bring peace to Ukraine."

Waihiga Mwaura
Reporting from Rome

Dumi Sifuno from Johannesburg, South Africa, and her two friends had planned a pilgrimage to Rome for the Jubilee Year - a major event in the Catholic calendar that began on 24 December 2024 and continues until 6 January 2026.

This unfortunately coincided with the passing of Pope Francis.

The pair of friends now tell me their time in Rome has been a time of celebration mixed with mourning.

“God has been good by giving the Church an amazing leader at a time when he was really needed."

They tell me they believe the conclave will choose the right leader to take the Church forward.

African Catholics have been quietly rooting for an African pope, bearing in mind the Church on the African continent has seen dynamic growth. But analysts say the probability of an African pope being chosen at this time remains slim.

Rosanna Pound-Woods
Reporting from Rome

Watching the funeral from St Peter's Square earlier was Sister Beatrice (pictured right). "For me, the loss of Pope Francis is a great loss," she told BBC News.

"In him I saw a holy man who saw the lonely and the needy. He is a man of peace and he accepts everybody no matter their race, language or where you come from.

"For me we have lost a great man. I prayed [that] who we choose as the next pope takes up the legacy he has laid for the church."

Paul Kirby
Europe digital editor

Image source, Andrii Sybiha/X

Zelensky has just spoken of a "very symbolic meeting" with Trump at Pope Francis' funeral that has the "potential to become historic".

The White House has so far spoken only of a "very productive" meeting on the sidelines of the funeral, as the US pushes for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.

There had been talk of a possible second meeting but that was quashed as soon as it emerged a substantial motorcade had left St Peter's for the airport. Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff met Vladimir Putin for three hours only yesterday and he made the point that direct talks between Russia and Ukraine were a particular focus.

Meanwhile, Zelensky's round of diplomatic talks in Rome isn't yet over.

Ukraine's foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, has posted a picture of Zelensky sitting with France's Emmanuel Macron under a parasol at a garden table.

Sybiha describes it as a "tête-à-tête about further peace efforts".

Zelensky is also due to meet European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen before he heads home.

Powerful symbolism for Starmer - and Europepublished at 13:05 British Summer Time 26 April

13:05 BST 26 April

Jack Fenwick
Political reporter

Image source, UKRAINE'S PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE

Today is clearly not a day primarily for politics. But with so many leaders gathered in one place, it's difficult not to reflect on the wider issues facing the world.

The image of Sir Keir Starmer standing alongside President Zelensky, President Trump and President Macron is a reminder of the war that rages in Ukraine, some 1,500 miles from the Vatican.

And it’s a reminder, too, of the role the UK is still playing in the tense diplomacy surrounding Russia's invasion.

The symbolism is clear: the leaders of the UK and France helping to bring together the leaders of Ukraine and the US for the first time since the dramatic Oval Office fallout.

This week, the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio cancelled a trip to London to discuss the latest on potential peace talks. That could easily be seen as something of a sidelining for Starmer and Macron.

Yesterday, President Trump said Russia and Ukraine "are very close to a deal". The UK, France and Germany seem to have been largely left out of those talks, too.

But UK government figures have downplayed that idea. Starmer is still pushing for a so-called "coalition of the willing" - which would see European troops help enforce any peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.

The prime minister will hope today's image of the four leaders is seen as a piece of powerful symbolism that western Europe - including the UK - still very much matters on the world stage.