Canadian delegation among thousands of mourners at Pope Francis’s funeral

Canadians scattered among the crowds that descended on St. Peter’s Square for Pope Francis’s funeral said the relatively simple ceremony seemed a fitting farewell for the famously humble pontiff.

While those who made it into St. Peter’s Square described a solemn, reverent audience, complete with dignitaries such as Gov.-Gen. Mary Simon, crowds outside Vatican City’s walls were abuzz.

But in both cases, Francis’s vision for the Catholic Church shone through.

“As a Catholic I found it very powerful that the service is so reminiscent of the services that we are familiar with right in Toronto,” said Falguni Debnath, who was with the general public near the back of the square.

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She said the late pope’s humility was evident in the funeral rites, which he simplified last year to reflect his view that the leader of the Catholic Church should not be treated as a monarch.

“The simplicity of his casket being moved for the final time in contrast to the enormity of his life and of his position was extremely moving for me,” she said.

Debnath, who became a Catholic in adulthood, bought her ticket to Rome within hours of hearing of Francis’s death on Monday.

“I feel Pope Francis was somebody who was much needed in this time, and it feels lonely to have his voice lost to us, though of course we have his writings and his preachings.”

For Simon, Canada’s first Indigenous governor general, the ceremony reminded her of all Francis did — not only for Catholics, but for marginalized people all over the world.

“I thought about his trip to Canada and how he inspired me and others to continue to be compassionate and understanding and respectful, because that was his his way of life,” she said by phone from Rome.

She described being among the mourners at his funeral as extremely powerful.

“It just seemed that it was a time in history that stopped, while the world was moving on, to recognize this man that has done so much for humanity,” Simon said.

Though the mood inside Vatican City was sombre, it was a “hive of activity” on the streets of Rome where Montreal’s Mirjam Guesgen watched the funeral on a large screen.

She said she’s not religious, she was already on vacation in Rome when the pope died so she decided to attend.

It seemed as though all of Rome had descended on the Vatican, she said, and by the time she and her partner made it there, St. Peter’s Square had already filled up.

“It was really sort of a once-in-a-lifetime experience because of the chanting and the prayers, which were echoing all across — probably as far as the Tiber — from the square,” she said.

She said she was surrounded by other tourists, speaking many different languages.

That experience was reflected in the ceremony itself, which included portions in languages including Italian, English, Spanish and Greek.

Francis died Monday at age 88 and is being remembered as a pontiff dedicated to building bridges and offering compassion to marginalized groups during his 12-year papacy.

U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron were among the heads of state in attendance Saturday. The Vatican has said the funeral was expected to attract dignitaries and leaders from around the world, including roughly 130 delegations, at least 50 heads of state and 10 reigning sovereigns.

In addition to Canada’s Governor General, major Indigenous leaders and Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard Wagner were due to attend.

Prime Minister Mark Carney was not present because of the federal election taking place on Monday.

All five of Canada’s cardinals were expected to attend, along with various bishops, Manitoba Métis Federation president David Chartrand, Quebec’s International Relations Minister Martine Biron and Chief Wilton Littlechild, who gifted the pontiff a traditional headdress when he visited Canada in 2022.

The event follows days of public viewings at St. Peter’s Basilica, where tens of thousands of mourners lined up for hours to pay their respects.

The Vatican has said Francis died of a stroke and heart failure.

Tributes have poured in from Catholics and non-Catholics alike, characterizing Francis’s tenure as head of the Catholic Church as one that called for inclusion, kindness and concern for the poor.

Francis faced criticism from conservatives who sometimes felt alienated by his progressive leanings.

Nearly 11 million Canadians identified as Catholic in the 2021 census, second only to those without a religious affiliation.

The pope will be buried in a niche within the St. Mary Major Basilica, home to his favourite icon of the Virgin Mary, to whom he was particularly devoted.

— with files from The Associated Press.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 26, 2025.

Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press