Pope Francis’ funeral as it happened: ‘pope among the people’ laid to rest, world celebrates his legacy
The pope died on Monday, aged 88. Royalty, world leaders and a legion of faithful paid their last respects to him at the Vatican on Saturday
World leaders and Catholic faithful bade farewell to Pope Francis in a funeral on Saturday that highlighted his concern for people on the “most peripheral of the peripheries” and reflected his wishes as pastor.
Some 250,000 people flocked to the funeral Mass in St Peter’s Square in the Vatican and tens of thousands more lined the motorcade route, clapping and cheering “Papa Francesco” as his simple wooden coffin travelled aboard one of his old popemobiles to its final resting place at St Mary Major Basilica on the other side of the city.
Pope Francis was then laid to rest during a 30-minute ceremony. Footage shared by the Holy See showed cardinals marking his wooden and zinc coffin with red wax seals.
The coffin was sprinkled with holy water after it was lowered into a tomb set inside an alcove.
Earlier in the day, crowds, packed with young people, applauded as the coffin was carried out of St Peter’s Basilica by white gloved pallbearers, accompanied by more than 200 red-robed cardinals.