Julian Assange and his young son are spotted among the mourners at Pope Francis’ funeral in Rome

Julian Assange made a rare public appearance to attend the funeral of Pope Francis today, having stayed out of the limelight since his release from prison last year.

The Wikileaks cofounder was pictured with his son among the hundreds of thousands of gathering mourners around St Peter’s Square on Saturday.

He appeared in a black suit, white shirt and black tie, in keeping with the strict dress code issued for the ceremony.

Mr Assange has been laying low with his wife and former lawyer Stella Assange and their two young sons since he was allowed to walk free in June 2024.

He faced 175-years in jail until pleading guilty to one count of breaching the Espionage Act and being allowed to return to his native Australia.

Until now, Assange had not made any known public appearances, and has taken a break from activism after years in prison, accused of disclosing military secrets.

Julian Assange attends the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican

The Wikileaks cofounder has scarcely been seen since he was released from prison 

Julian Assange (L) speaks with a member of the military forces in Via della Conciliazione by St Peter’s Square

Hundreds of thousands of mourners, and world leaders, packed St Peter’s Square today for the funeral of Pope Francis, who died on Monday aged 88.

While leaders and guests had their own area reserved, Assange appeared to be with the masses.

The Vatican estimated that some 200,000 people were in the square and surrounding streets during the ceremony.

Mr Assange has avoided public appearances since being reunited with his family last year.

He did share a rare photo in December as he celebrated his first Christmas in Australia since his release from prison.

On Christmas Eve, Ms Assange shared a photo to social media of her sun-kissed husband smiling as he clutched a lamb to his chest.

‘Merry Christmas to everyone from Julian, Stella, and our kids, Gabriel and Max,’ the caption read. ‘May the new year bring steadfast push for peace and dignity for all.’

In August, she said her husband was enjoying being in nature and ‘recuperating’ from his lengthy spell in prison.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange (C) raises his fist upon arrival at Canberra Airport in Canberra on June 26, 2024, after he pleaded guilty at a US court in Saipan to a single count of conspiracy to obtain and disseminate US national defence information

The coffin of Pope Francis is carried during the funeral Mass on Saturday, April 26

Cardinals take their seats for the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican

Mr Assange’s release from Belmarsh was welcomed by Amnesty International at the time, which added that he ‘should never have been imprisoned in the first place’.

‘The years-long global spectacle of the US authorities hell-bent on violating press freedom and freedom of expression by making an example of Assange for exposing alleged war crimes committed by the USA has undoubtedly done historic damage,’ Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Agnès Callamard said at the time.

Mr Assange ran Wikileaks, a website that published confidential and restricted reports related to corruption and conflict.

One such leak suggested that the US military had killed hundreds of civilians during the war in Afghanistan and not reported the incidents.

The US said the leaks had endangered the lives of American personnel, and Mr Assange was accused of conspiring to break into military databases to acquire sensitive information.

He was charged with 18 offences, and efforts were made to extradite him to the US for prosecution, contested for more than a decade.

Mr Assange argued that the push was politically motivated.

He was ultimately detained in the UK and denied the claims against him, claiming asylum in the Ecuadorean embassy in London in 2012.

After being ordered to leave the embassy, he was then arrested by British police and spent five years in prison.

Donald Trump (back) waves as he leaves with US First Lady Melania Trump after attending Pope Francis’ funeral ceremony, in Rome on April 26, 2025

US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump, Estonia’s President Alar Karis, Spain’s King Felipe VI and Poland’s President Andrzej Duda (TOP-L) attend late Pope Francis’ funeral ceremony

Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden walk ahead of the funeral Mass of Pope Francis, at the Vatican, April 26, 2025

Mr Assange signed a plea agreement with the US in June 2024 and the High Court granted him bail, before he was released from prison.

He formally pleaded guilty to one count of breaching the espionage act and was allowed to return to Australia.

Assange said in his first statement since the plea deal that he had chosen freedom over ‘unrealisable justice’.

‘I am not free today because the system worked. I am free today after years of incarceration because I pled guilty to journalism,’ he said.

Mr Assange was today among the crowds at the funeral of Pope Francis.

Crowds applauded as the pope’s coffin was carried out of St Peter’s Basilica by white gloved pallbearers, accompanied by more than 200 red-robed cardinals.

The open-air ceremony, which will be celebrated by 220 cardinals, 750 bishops and more than 4,000 other priests, was due to last 90 minutes. 

The pope shunned much of the pomp and privilege usually associated with the papacy and will carry that desire for greater simplicity into his funeral, having rewritten the elaborate, book-long funeral rites used previously.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, led the service, addressing thousands gathered in St Peter’s Square. 

Pallbearers carry the coffin during the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square

Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria Starmer walk ahead of the funeral Mass of Pope Francis, at the Vatican

U.S President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attend the funeral Mass of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, April 26, 2025

A hearse transfers the coffin of Pope Francis to the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major (Santa Maria Maggiore) on the day of his funeral, in Rome, Italy, April 26, 2025

Guests included Argentina’s President Javier Milei and Britain’s Prince William as well as Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy – who met with Trump shortly beforehand, their first encounter since February’s Oval Office clash.

Prince William attended on behalf of King Charles III. His appearance continues a tradition set in 2005 when the then-Prince of Wales attended the funeral of Pope John Paul II on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II.

Francis is breaking with tradition and will be buried in the St. Mary Major Basilica, where a simple underground tomb awaits him with just his name: Franciscus. 

Pope Francis died on Monday, aged 88, from a stroke and irreversible heart failure in his beloved Casa Santa Marta residence.

In his final hours, he had joined crowds for an Easter Sunday blessing at St Peter’s Square. The pontiff had only recently been discharged from hospital, after five weeks of treatment for an infection that led to double pneumonia.

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