Pope Francis’s funeral took the shape of a mass pilgrimage and unofficial global summit as the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Square filled to bursting with pilgrims, presidents, and refugees.
The Vatican estimated that more than 200,000 pilgrims from all over the world had arrived before the funeral started at 10 a.m., making it one of the largest funerals in Vatican – and European – history. They began filling the square well before dawn, a testament to the popularity of Francis among Catholics and non-Catholics alike.
The crowds spilled into the streets around the basilica and onto two bridges over the nearby Tiber River, where they had no view of the event but could hear the hymns. Some of the faithful, unable to get near St. Peter’s Basilica, entered nearby churches to pray in silence.
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Francis died at age 88on the morning …