Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re has paid tribute to Pope Francis during a solemn Requiem Mass, describing the late pontiff as a shepherd who lived close to his people and led a Church open to all.

Around 250,000 mourners gathered in and around St Peter’s Square on Saturday morning to bid farewell to the Pope, while an estimated 150,000 others lined the streets of Rome as his coffin was taken in procession to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major.

Presiding over the Mass alongside some 250 cardinals, bishops, and clergy, Cardinal Re recalled Pope Francis’s 12 years of leadership, marked by simplicity, pastoral closeness, and a profound love for the Church. His ministry, Re said, was distinguished by spontaneity and humility until the very end.

Reflecting on the impact of his papacy, Cardinal Re pointed to the week of mourning, saying the extraordinary turnout spoke to how Pope Francis “touched minds and hearts” beyond the Catholic community.

Drawing on the Gospel reading, Re compared the Pope to Christ the Good Shepherd, highlighting how Francis, despite his frailty, continued to serve and bless the faithful until his final days. The Cardinal recalled the Pope’s last public appearance on Easter Sunday, offering a blessing from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica before greeting crowds in an open-top vehicle.

Taking the name Francis at the outset of his pontificate, the Pope signalled his intention to model his leadership on the spirit of Saint Francis of Assisi embracing simplicity, fraternity, and care for the poor.

Cardinal Re praised Pope Francis’s leadership style, describing him as a pastor with an open heart towards all, especially the marginalised. He noted the Pope’s attentiveness to the “signs of the times” and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in guiding the Church through an era of profound change.

Evangelisation, Re said, remained at the heart of Pope Francis’s vision, highlighted in documents such as Evangelii Gaudium. The Pope’s depiction of the Church as a “field hospital” spoke to his commitment to reaching the wounded and vulnerable.

Francis’s concern for migrants and refugees was reflected in high-profile visits to Lampedusa, Lesbos, and the US-Mexico border, acts that symbolised his solidarity with those in need. Among his extensive travels, his visit to Iraq was singled out as a significant gesture towards promoting interfaith dialogue.

Cardinal Re also highlighted Pope Francis’s emphasis on mercy, most notably through the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy in 2016. His call for a “culture of encounter” and fraternity was embodied in his writings, including the encyclical Fratelli tutti and the joint declaration on human fraternity signed in Abu Dhabi in 2019.

Environmental advocacy formed another key theme of his pontificate, through the encyclical Laudato si’, which called attention to humanity’s shared responsibility for the planet.

Throughout his ministry, Pope Francis consistently called for peace, rejecting war as “a defeat for humanity.” His appeals for global harmony drew widespread applause during the ceremony.

Closing the homily, Cardinal Re invoked the late Pope’s familiar words “Do not forget to pray for me” turning them back towards Francis himself. “Dear Francis,” he said, “we now ask you to pray for us. May you bless the Church, bless Rome, and bless the whole world from heaven.”