Goodbye to Pope Francis, from washing the feet to prisoners to the meeting with Queen Elisabetta, the images that marked her pontificate

The pontificate of Pope Franciswho died on April 21, 2025, was a journey of gestures and moments that have touched millions of people all over the world by marking his pontificate in several moments. From his historical election in 2013, which marked the beginning of a new era for the Church, until the last days of his life, Pope Francis gave birth to a series of unforgettable images, immortalized in photographs that have marked the collective memory.

A symbolic image of its papal beginning is that of 13 March 2013when, looking out from the balcony of the Basilica of San Pietro, he greeted the faithful with his gesture of blessing and pronounced the first words in Italian. Then, The trip to Lampedusa in 2013where, in silence, he prayed next to a boat of migrants. The decision to wash his feet for prisoners, an act of service that has also repeated in the following years, constantly recalling the message of humility of Jesus. But also the journey to Japan in 2019 and the prayer to the peace memorial of Hiroshima have highlighted his commitment for nuclear disarmament and global peace. Then, the funeral of Benedict XVI in January 2023 and two years earlier the Easter blessing in a San Pietro square emptied by the pandemic.

The election of Pope Francis, 13 March 2013

Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

Pope Francis' prayer with migrants in Lampedusa 2013

Pope Francis’ prayer with migrants in Lampedusa, 2013

Marcello Paternostro/Getty Images

The meeting with Queen Elisabetta 2014

The meeting with Queen Elisabetta, 2014

Mondadori Portfolio/Getty Images

The meeting with Diego Armando Maradona 2014

The meeting with Diego Armando Maradona, 2014

Pier Marco Water/Getty Images

Pope Francis together with Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas 2014

Pope Francis together with Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, 2014

Alessandra Benedetti – Corbis/Getty Images

Washing the feet to prisoners

Washing the feet to prisoners

Vatican Pool/Getty Images

Pope Francis and the visit of Donald Trump in the Vatican 2017

Pope Francis and the visit of Donald Trump to the Vatican, 2017

Vatican Pool – Corbis/Getty Images

The visit to the Memorial of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

The visit to the Memorial of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 2019

Vincenzo Pinto/Getty Images

Pope Francis and the blessing Urbi et orbi in the square of San Pietro empty for the pandemic

Pope Francis and the blessing Urbi et orbi in the square of San Pietro empty for the pandemic

Franco Origlia/Getty Images

The historic trip to Iraq and the meeting with journalists in flight 2021

The historic trip to Iraq and the meeting with journalists in flight, 2021

Andrew Medichini/Getty Images

Benedict XVI's funeral in the Basilica of San Pietro 2022

Benedict XVI’s funeral in the Basilica of San Pietro, 2022

Vatican Pool – Corbis/Getty Images

A general audition
A general auditionMondadori Portfolio/Getty Images
Pope Francis greets the faithful on Easter day

The last farewell to the faithful on Easter

Antonio Masiello/Getty Images

Source: Vanity Fair

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