A sea of mourners watched on, as the Vatican bid a final farewell to Pope Francis last night.

The 88-year-old pontiff has now been laid to rest at Rome's Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.

Hundreds of thousands filled out Saint Peter's Square and surrounding areas to catch a glimpse of the funeral.

New Zealand Archbishop Cardinal John Dew was among the crowd - and he said it was a 'lovely' ceremony.

"I think there were 50 heads of state here - from 50 different countries. I thought that just spoke volumes of the fact that that many people would make the effort to get to Rome for his funeral."

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A sea of mourners watched on, as the Vatican bid a final farewell to Pope Francis last night.
The 88-year-old pontiff has now been laid to rest at Rome's Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.
Hundreds of thousands filled out Saint Peter's Square and surrounding areas to catch a glimpse of the funeral.
New Zealand Archbishop Cardinal John Dew was among the crowd - and he said it was a 'lovely' ceremony.
"I think there were 50 heads of state here - from 50 different countries. I thought that just spoke volumes of the fact that that many people would make the effort to get to Rome for his funeral."
LISTEN ABOVE

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The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

John Dew: New Zealand Archbishop Cardinal on Pope Francis' funeral

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/c9515707-8790-4563-b951-b2cb0171bddb/transcript