In a powerful, unexpected moment at the Vatican, U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met inside St. Peter’s Basilica on April 26 — just ahead of Pope Francis’ funeral Mass.

Members of the College of Cardinals had a chance to take a quick bus tour through Rome on their way to visit the tomb of Pope Francis, who wanted to be buried in a Marian basilica three and a half miles from the Vatican.

Archbishop J. Michael Miller, apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Vancouver, British Columbia, is calling for prayer after a deadly car-ramming attack in that city amid a Filipino heritage festival.

Mercy — the cornerstone of Pope Francis’ teaching and ministry — must guide the Catholic Church through its period of mourning and the uncertainty that lies ahead, the Vatican’s second-ranking official said.

The casket bearing the body of Pope Francis made its final journey through the streets of Rome accompanied by applause and shouts of gratitude from thousands of mourners.

More than 160 nations sent delegations April 26, headed by kings and queens, presidents and prime ministers, government officials and ambassadors.

Cardinal Christophe Pierre, papal nuncio to the United States, reflected on Pope Francis’ legacy and the evangelizing mission of the church in an interview that took place during the early meetings of the general congregations leading up to the conclave that will elect the next pope.

The English translation of the prepared text of the homily, delivered in Italian by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, for the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican April 26, 2025.

Pope Francis was “a pope among the people, with an open heart toward everyone,” said Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, as he presided over the funeral of the pope, who died April 21 at the age of 88.

The poor, Cardinal Krajewski confirmed, will also be present on the footsteps of the Basilica of St. Mary Major where Francis will be buried April 26 following the funeral Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica.