Pope Francis laid to rest at Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major

Tens of thousands of mourners, including world leaders, pilgrims, and prelates, gathered at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City as Pope Francis’ funeral Mass began on Saturday morning. Applause echoed through the square as his zinc-lined wooden coffin, inlaid with a large cross, was carried out of the basilica by white-gloved pallbearers. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, led the open-air ceremony, joined by 220 cardinals, 750 bishops, and more than 4,000 priests. The Mass marks a historic farewell, as Pope Francis will become the first pontiff in over a century to be buried outside the Vatican, choosing Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major as his final resting place.