Pope Francis has been buried at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, marking a historic moment as he becomes the first pope since Leo XIII, who died in 1903, to be laid to rest outside the Vatican, APA reports.
The funeral ceremony was led by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals. World leaders and hundreds of thousands of mourners attended the service, paying their final respects to the late pontiff.
Santa Maria Maggiore held special significance for Francis. Each time he returned to Rome after trips abroad, he visited the basilica to offer prayers. His deep devotion to the Virgin Mary made the choice of his final resting place particularly meaningful. Built in the 4th century, Santa Maria Maggiore was the first church dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
Since the announcement of Pope Francis' death, approximately 250,000 people have visited St. Peter’s Basilica to bid him farewell.
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14:44
Vatican has confirmed that 250,000 people attended Pope Francis' funeral in and around St Peter's Square, APA reports.
That's 50,000 more than they announced earlier.
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12:55
The Vatican says 200,000 people are attending the Pope's funeral in St Peter's Square and the surrounding area, APA reports citing BBC.
Meanwhile, Italian police have updated their earlier figure, putting the number at around 150,000 - that includes around 50,000 gathered in St Peter's Square itself.
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11:53
The funeral ceremony of Pope Francis is being held at the Vatican, APA reports.
Bells are ringing out. Over the speakers people are being asked to refrain from waving banners and flags during the mass as a mark of respect.
Heads of state and government, royalty, clergy, and guests from various parts of the world attended the ceremony.
Biography
Pope Francis was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the son of Italian immigrants on December 17, 1936.
1998
February 28 - Appointed Archbishop, Primate of Argentina. He becomes famous for commuting to work on public transport, not living in the archbishop's palace and cooking his own meals.
2001
February 21 - Appointed a cardinal by Pope John Paul II.
2013
March 13 - Elected pope after the shock resignation of Pope Benedict. He takes the name Francesco (Francis) and is the first non-European pope in 1,300 years.
July 8 - Makes first pastoral trip outside Rome, visiting the Italian island of Lampedusa and condemns the "globalisation of indifference" to the plight of migrants.
2014
May 24-26 - Visits the Holy Land and becomes the first pontiff to lay a wreath at the tomb of the founder of modern Zionism. He also prays in front of the Israeli security wall that is despised by Palestinians.
2017
January 2 - Says in a letter bishops must show zero tolerance to clergy who sexually abuse children. He begs forgiveness for "a sin that shames us".
2019
April 19 - Meets South Sudan's previously warring leaders and kisses their feet. Urges them not to return to a civil war.
May 24 - Appoints women to a key Vatican department for the first time.
2020
March 7 - Cancels all regular public appearances because of the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 27, he holds a solitary prayer service in the vast, empty St. Peter's Square.
December 31 - Suffering a flare-up of a sciatica condition that causes pain in his right leg, the pope misses New Year's Eve and New Year's Day services - the first time health problems caused him to skip major religious events.
2021
March 5 - Resuming trips after the COVID crisis, Francis makes the first visit by a pontiff to Iraq.
July 4 - Has surgery to remove part of his colon, spends 11 days in hospital to recuperate.
July 16 - In blow to conservatives, he overturns the decisions of his two predecessors and re-imposes restrictions on the old-style Latin Mass preferred by traditionalist Catholics.
2022
February 25 - Departing from protocol, the pope visits the Russian embassy to the Vatican to relay personally his concern over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
2023
January 11 - The conservative Cardinal Pell dies in Rome. It is later revealed that he had penned an anonymous 2021 memo condemning Francis's papacy as a "catastrophe".
December 18 - The Vatican says in a landmark ruling approved by Francis that Roman Catholic priests can administer blessings to same-sex couples as long as they are not part of regular Church rituals or liturgies.
2024
June 14 - Pope Francis becomes the first pontiff to address a Group of Seven summit, telling leaders about the potential risks and benefits of artificial intelligence.
2025
February 14 - The Vatican announces that the pope has been admitted to hospital for treatment of bronchitis. In later days, doctors announce he is battling double pneumonia.
March 23- The pope is discharged after a 38-day hospital stay.
April 20 - On Easter Sunday, the pope enters St. Peter's Square in an open-air popemobile for the first time since his serious illness, greeting tens of thousands of Catholics after the Vatican's celebration of Easter Mass.
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