Pope laid to rest as 4 lakh mourners bid last goodbye

Funeral sets off 9 days of mourning, followed by election of successor

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HUNDREDS of thousands of mourners joined world leaders, including US President Donald Trump, to bid farewell Saturday to Pope Francis, a champion of the poor who strived to forge a more compassionate Catholic church.

The Vatican said 400,000 people packed St Peter's Square and lined the streets of Rome for the funeral of the first Latin American leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.

After a solemn funeral, the Argentine pontiff's plain wooden coffin — a testament to a life of humility — was driven slowly to Rome's Santa Maria Maggiore church, where he was interred in a private ceremony.