World bids farewell to the ‘People’s Pope’

The coffin was welcomed by homeless, migrants, transgenders and prisoners in a tribute to Francis

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Pope Francis was laid to rest on Saturday, following a solemn funeral attended by over 2,50,000 mourners and numerous world leaders in St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City.

The ceremony highlighted his commitment to the marginalized and his vision of a humble, inclusive Church.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, presided over the Mass, eulogising Francis as a “pope among the people” who reached out to the “most peripheral of the peripheries.” Applause erupted as his coffin was carried from St. Peter’: Basilica to the Basilica of St. Mary Major, where he was interred in a simple tomb made of Ligurian stone, reflecting his vow of poverty and pastoral identity.