By Bukola Kayode
US President, Donald Trump, French President, Emmanuel Macron, royalties and diplomats from across the globe, gathered in Rome for the burial of Pope Francis.
The Late Pontiff was laid to rest in a private and simple underground tomb in keeping with his wishes, in a church outside the Vatican, breaking a long-held tradition.
Pope Francis’ funeral service ended earlier this morning and was simple, also in keeping with his wishes.
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re presided over the funeral ceremony and said the world ought to ‘build bridges, not walls’ to honor the late pope.
Hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets of Rome to catch a glimpse of the pope’s coffin as it made its way to the St. Mary Major Basilica, his final resting place.
The funeral ceremony saw some of the world’s most powerful people in attendance, President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy holding a meeting right inside St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.
Meanwhile. the Vatican has announced that Francis’ coffin was entombed at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in central Rome.
“The Pope is the first in over a century to be buried outside the Vatican, and his entombment was a private event, allowing for those closest to him to pay their respects,” the official Vatican News account posted.
At least 400,000 people attended Pope Francis funeral proceedings, Italy says
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi told Italian media that an estimated 400,000 people attended the funeral proceedings of Pope Francis in the Vatican and Rome.
“We estimate not fewer than 400,000 people between those present in St. Peter’s Square and those along the route,” Piantedosi told Italian program TG5.
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