World bids emotional farewell to Pope Francis

Presidents, royalty and simple mourners bade farewell to Pope Francis Saturday at a solemn funeral ceremony, where a cardinal appealed for the pontiff's legacy of caring for migrants, the downtrodden and the environment to be kept alive.

- REUTERS

US President Donald Trump, who had clashed with the pope on those issues, sat with the rows of foreign dignitaries on one side of Francis' coffin in the vast St Peter's Square.

On the other side sat cardinals who will pick Francis’ successor at a conclave next month, deciding if the new pope should continue with the late pontiff's push for a more open Church or cede to conservatives who want to return to a more traditional papacy.

The Argentine pope, who reigned for 12 years, died at the age of 88 Monday after suffering a stroke.

“Rich in human warmth and deeply sensitive to today's challenges, Pope Francis truly shared the anxieties, sufferings and hopes of this time," said Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, who presided over the funeral Mass.