'Pope's last act' and Trump 'turns against Putin'

Today's front pages are dominated by full-page images of the funeral of the Pope. The Sunday Times lets a top shot of the of the vast congregation gathered in St Peter's Square stand alone - other than the pontiff's name and the years of his birth and death.

Set in the ornate surroundings of St Peter's Basilica, presidents Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky met for the first time since their acrimonious row in the Oval Office in February. "The Pope's last act," is how the Observer casts the scene.

A photograph of the leaders locked in conversation also tops the Sunday Telegraph. "It's almost as if, from beyond the grave, the wily Argentine conspired to bring peace a little closer in Ukraine," reads its accompanying editorial.

The Sunday Mirror dedicates its front page almost entirely to a solemn image of the Pope's coffin being carried by pallbearers across St Peter's Square. Featured bottom right are Zelensky and Trump. "Hope amid the tears" is the headline.

Like the Times, Sunday People abandons other news for a photograph of mourners gathered in the Vatican. In the bottom corner, an image of the US and Ukrainian presidents standing alongside Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron, whose hand rests on Zelensky's shoulder. The four leaders "united for the Pope and peace talks for Ukraine", the paper says.

"Rest in peace," says the Sun on Sunday, in reference both to the final farewell to the Pope and the hope for progress on a truce deal in Ukraine. The front page also takes in Zelensky's description of his sit down with Trump as a "very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic".

"A miracle in the Vatican?" the Mail asks of the Trump-Zelensky talks for its Sunday edition. Directly underneath is a report about a former girlfriend of Sir Keir's and an interview with Tory leader Kemi Badenoch.

"Farewell Francis" is the headline for both the Sunday Express and Daily Star. The former selects a photograph from the final commendation at the funeral mass, during which a cardinal burns incense to honour the Pope's body.

The Star also runs a story on artificial intelligence, citing "boffins" as saying overuse of chatbots is "making humans thick".

Britain's newspapers have marked the funeral of Pope Francis with a series of striking front pages.

"Farewell Francis", says the Sunday Express, alongside a photograph of his plain wooden coffin resting on a small platform. The Sunday People pictures the huge crowds that filled St Peter's Square for the funeral, saying Francis left a "legacy of hope" as world leaders united to bid him farewell.

Two of the most striking images are chosen by the Sunday Telegraph and the Observer - showing different angles of Presidents Trump and Zelensky locked in an intense private discussion - both men leaning towards each other as they sit face-to-face in an ornate room in the Vatican. The Sun on Sunday highlights Mr Zelensky's comment that their conversation had the "potential to become historic" -- while the Sunday Times describes the meeting as "extraordinary". "Hope amid the tears," says the headline of the Sunday Mirror.

The Sunday Telegraph's leader column suggests that "at long last, Donald Trump may be waking up to Vladimir Putin's true nature", after the US president criticised his Russian counterpart for continuing to attack Ukraine, and accused him of "tapping me along". Acknowledging what it calls Mr Trump's "belated realisation that Mr Putin cannot be relied upon as a good-faith negotiating partner", the paper calls on Washington to formulate new sanctions on Russia, step up military aid to Ukraine, and make a long-term commitment to Kyiv's security after any peace deal.

The leader column of the Sunday Times considers what next for Christianity, arguing "it is no exaggeration to say the future direction of the religion finds itself at a crossroads" with both the Catholic Church and the Church of England set to have new leaders this year. The paper warns it is "sadly inevitable" that Rome and Canterbury will face fresh questions about sexual abuse scandals, and notes the continuing decline in the number of people who describe themselves as Christian. "This is why these appointments matter so much," it says.

Several papers reflect on the death of Virginia Giuffre - the woman who accused Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein of sexual abuse - after she took her own life on Friday. According to the Mail on Sunday, the final months of the 41-year-old were "plagued with fears that her enemies were trying to smear her reputation". Prince Andrew has always strongly denied any wrongdoing.

A study suggesting that swearing makes people physically stronger is highlighted by the Mail. Researchers from the universities of Keele and Amsterdam found people had greater handgrip strength after repeatedly swearing for ten seconds, compared with those who repeated inoffensive words. The paper says one theory is that using bad language makes people less inhibited and more likely to show risky behaviour, triggering a reduction in self-control, in a similar effect to drinking alcohol. The scientists also found that those who swore were happier and more positive.

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