Pope Francis has been buried inside his favourite Rome church after a funeral mass in St Peter’s Square, the Vatican says.
The Argentine pontiff, who died on Monday aged 88, was laid to rest during a 30-minute burial ceremony which started at 1 p.m. (1100 GMT) at the Santa Maria Maggiore basilica in the Italian capital.
The funeral has drawn up to 200,000 people, with the Italian and Vatican authorities mounting a major security operation.
The funeral sets off the first of nine days of official Vatican mourning for Francis, who took over following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI in 2013.
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Pope Francis died at the age of 88 on April 21 due to a stroke, weeks after he returned home after battling double pneumonia.
Meanwhile, 20 hours before his death, the pontiff had made his last appearance on Easter, reminding the world of the essence of life and urging people to renew the hope for peace.
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