Pope Francis has been buried in Rome after a funeral ceremony and procession attended by hundreds of thousands of people and many heads of state.
The first South American pontiff passed away on Monday aged 88, marking the end of a 12-year pontificate.
As the Italian capital woke up to a hazy morning, teenage pilgrims, nuns and priests of all denominations filed silently down the streets leading to the Vatican.
Many of the streets around St Peter’s Basilica were closed – both to allow the flow of visitors and for security reasons, as more than a hundred foreign dignitaries were expected to join the funeral mass.
More than 8,000 Italian police of different branches were out in force, as well as firefighters, medics, canine unit handlers, volunteers, members of the armed forces and even park guards.
Many had been called in from all sides of Italy to be in Rome today – resulting in a rather joyous blend of accents from across the country, from the Sicilian to the Milanese.
By 08:00 local time (06:00 GMT) much of the square was already full.
Jessica, 22 and from Mexico, and Cyril, 20 and from the US, had arrived at dawn to secure a front row spot to the funeral mass.
“We never thought we’d be this close. We sacrificed a little sleep to be here but it’s worth it,” said Jessica.
She’s a Catholic and said her relatives in Mexico would “never believe it” when she told them she had been at the Vatican for the Pope’s funeral.
