EPA
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.
