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Pope Francis’s Funeral Highlights ‘Build Bridges, Not Walls’ Message in Subtle Critique of Trump

Cardinal Re’s homily at the Vatican service emphasized Pope Francis’s legacy of peace and inclusion, implicitly challenging border policies endorsed by President Trump, who attended the ceremony.

Italian cardinal Giovanni Battista Re looks at Youssef Absi, Patriarch of Antioch and All the Orient, of Alexandria and of Jerusalem, and head of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, blessing with myrrh the coffin of late Pope Francis during the funeral ceremony at St Peter's Square at the Vatican
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Overview

  • Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re invoked Pope Francis’s call to 'build bridges, not walls' during the funeral, implicitly criticizing isolationist immigration policies.
  • President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were seated in the front row among 200,000 attendees in St Peter’s Square, Vatican City.
  • Fifty heads of state and ten reigning sovereigns, including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Prince William, attended the open-air funeral for the late pope.
  • The homily highlighted Pope Francis’s advocacy for migrants, peace, and dialogue, as well as his condemnation of war and calls for negotiation to resolve conflicts.
  • Pope Francis, who passed away on Easter Monday 2025, had previously described building walls instead of bridges as 'not Christian,' directly challenging Trump’s border wall policies.