Presidents, royalty and a multitude of simple mourners bade farewell to Pope Francis on Saturday at his funeral, where a cardinal said the pontiff's legacy of caring for migrants, the downtrodden and the environment must not die with him, Report informs via Reuters.
"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.
The Argentine pope, who had reigned for 12 years, died at the age of 88 on Monday after suffering a stroke.
Francis, who shunned much of the pomp and privilege of the papacy during his 12-year reign, had asked to be buried there rather than in the crypt of St. Peter's, which is the traditional resting place for popes.
Aerial views of the Vatican during the funeral showed a patchwork of colours - black from the dark garb of the world's leaders, red from the vestments of some 250 cardinals, the purple worn by some of the 400 bishops and the white worn by 4,000 attending priests.
Choirs sang Latin hymns and prayers were recited in various languages, including Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese and Arabic, reflecting the global reach of the 1.4-billion-member Roman Catholic Church.
The Vatican estimated more than 250,000 people attended the ceremony, which lasted two hours.