Pope Francis, the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church, has been laid to rest, after a moving funeral brought closure to a 12-year papacy defined by humility and simplicity.
The pontiff died on Monday from a stroke, followed by several days of mourning.
Marked by enchanting choral music and emotive readings, around more than 400,000 mourners gathered to watch as tributes were paid to commemorate Francis in St Peter’s Square, according to Italy’s interior minister.
The 88-year-old pontiff’s wooden coffin was then slowly transported to its final burial place in the Basilica of St Mary Major, as thousands lined the streets to bid a final farewell to the Argentine.
A solemn day also set the stage for critical international diplomacy, with Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky holding talks in the Vatican which have the “potential to become historic”, the Ukrainian leader said.
Pictured face-to-face for a spontaneous meeting in St Peter’s Basilica, Mr Zelensky said the pair “discussed a lot one on one” in a “very symbolic meeting”.
Leading the funeral service, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re also echoed one of Francis’ strongest criticisms of Mr Trump, making a call to “build bridges, not walls.”
