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Pope Francis has been laid to
after a solemn
in Rome. The funeral and procession were attended by more than 250,000 people. Many high-ranking church
, royalty, heads of state, and foreign
paid their
to the pontiff in the magnificent 16th-century St Peter's Basilica. The Vatican News website called the ceremony "moving,
, and heartfelt". Pope Francis passed away on Easter Monday, aged 88, after serving as
of the Catholic Church for 12 years. Francis was the
Pope from South America. A Catholic Church cardinal said the
of affection in the Vatican streets "tells us how much Pope Francis touched
and hearts".
