Pope Francis' funeral took place on Saturday. Credit: Dan Kitwood / Getty
The truth behind the huge “futuristic” firearms at Pope Francis’ funeral has been revealed.
They were advanced anti-drone systems, not firearms.
The Argentine pontiff, who passed away on Easter Monday at 88 after a 12-year papacy, was honoured with a funeral mass at St Peter’s Basilica on Saturday, April 26.
The Vatican confirmed Pope Francis’ death, stating he died from a stroke that led to a coma and irreversible heart failure.
Religious leaders, royals, presidents, prime ministers, and hundreds of thousands of mourners attended, making security a critical and complex operation.
Images and videos of security forces carrying massive, intense-looking firearms quickly drew attention on social media.
A clip posted on X (formerly Twitter) by Argentine journalist Elisabetta Piqué gained more than five million views.
The clip, which questioned the type of weapon carried, was reshared widely.
One X user joked, “What’s he doing with that? Jet washing all the limos that are rocking up?”
“Straight out of Halo,” another user quipped, referencing the popular video game.
Another called it a “Space Ray gun modulator.”
In reality, the “futuristic” weapons are Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS), commonly known as anti-drone guns.
These devices disrupt signals between drones and their operators, causing the drone to land or crash.
An Italian soldier described one version of the anti-drone gun as black with a white plastic plate at the front, weighing about seven to eight kilograms.
He explained that the “drone killer” was “a frequency jammer” and mentioned being accompanied by another soldier using binoculars to spot aerial threats.
“It is used by the army and air force. We’ve practiced with it for years but never needed to use it,” the soldier said.
NATO fighter jets enforced a no-fly zone over the Vatican area to protect the event.
Additional security measures included snipers on rooftops, helicopters, a bomb squad, and a dog unit.
Carabinieri military police chief Ciriaco Sarnelli called the security operation “extraordinary.”
Speaking to Sky Europe correspondent Adam Parson, Sarnelli explained that the Carabinieri, one of Italy’s main law enforcement agencies, handled both common crimes like pickpocketing and “the biggest, terrifying events.”
Rome Police control room spokeswoman Elisabetta Accardo emphasized the unprecedented scale of the operation, saying it had been “hundreds of years” since Italy had dealt with an event of this size.
High-profile guests paying tribute included US President Donald Trump, former US President Joe Biden, Britain’s Prince William representing King Charles, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Other royal attendees were Spain’s King Felipe and Queen Letizia, Monaco’s Prince Albert and Princess Charlene, Belgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Queen Rania.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon attended, while Australia was represented by Governor-General Sam Mostyn, as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stayed in the country ahead of the federal election’s final week.
In keeping with his wishes, Pope Francis’ burial will not follow Vatican tradition. He will be laid to rest at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome.
His burial reflects simplicity, with a handwritten “Rogito” placed inside his coffin alongside minted coins and key papal documents.
His final testament stated: “The tomb should be in the ground; simple, without particular ornamentation, bearing only the inscription: Franciscus.”
He entrusted his journey to the Virgin Mary, writing: “I wish my final earthly journey to end precisely in this ancient Marian sanctuary, where I would always stop to pray at the beginning and end of every Apostolic Journey.”
The historic funeral, led by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, closed a week of mourning for a pontiff remembered worldwide as a “simple and much-loved shepherd.”
