ローマ教皇に最後の別れ　首脳ら葬儀参列、４０万人追悼―「心開き、献身」・バチカン

　【バチカン市時事】２１日に８８歳で死去したフランシスコ・ローマ教皇（在位２０１３～２５年）の葬儀が２６日、バチカン市のサンピエトロ広場で執り行われた。聖職者のほか、トランプ米大統領ら世界の首脳が参列。弱者に寄り添う姿勢を貫き、１４億人の信者を束ねたカトリック教会の最高指導者に最後の別れを告げた。
　葬儀は、教皇の最高顧問を務める枢機卿団のレ首席が主宰。「誰にでも心を開いた教皇だった。最後の日まで献身を選んだ」としのんだ。ウィリアム英皇太子、フランスのマクロン大統領、教皇の母国アルゼンチンのミレイ大統領、ウクライナのゼレンスキー大統領、日本の岩屋毅外相らも出席。会場や周辺、沿道は追悼に訪れた推定４０万人の群衆に埋め尽くされた。（2025/04/26-22:37）

The funeral of Pope Francis, who died at the age of 88, was held at the Vatican on Saturday, attended by many foreign dignitaries, including Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya.
   The Argentine native became the first leader of the Catholic Church from Latin America in 2013. During his 12-year papacy, the pope worked hard on church reform.
   In 2019, he visited the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which were devastated by U.S. atomic bombings in the final days of World War II, and urged the world to abolish nuclear weapons.
   After being admitted to hospital for severe pneumonia earlier this year, he died at his home at the Vatican on Monday from a stroke and heart failure.
   About 250,000 people paid their final respects in the three days until Friday when the pope's body lay in state at St Peter's Basilica.