Pope Francis laid to rest after historic funeral | Eyewitness News updates

For six days in September 2015, Pope Francis made a historic visit to the United States, visiting some of the country's biggest cities and speaking to massive crowds of the faithful along the way.

In the span of a few days, the pope went to Washington to meet with the president and address a joint session of Congress; delivered a speech before the United Nations and visited the 9/11 Memorial in New York City; then spoke at the World Meeting of Families and celebrated Mass on the Ben Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia.

The pope's itinerary called for him to spend just under 40 hours in NYC, arriving Thursday evening at 5 p.m. and leaving Saturday morning just before 9 a.m. He was a part of six major events that spanned Manhattan -- from the Financial District up to East Harlem.

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Many of the parishioners who worship at Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn are from Latin America and there is a deep connection knowing the pope was from Argentina.

Father Robert Wojtek opened mass on Monday morning with words of remembrance.

Church staff put up a large photo of Pope Francis to honor him and the legacy he leaves behind. For many Catholics, the pope's death is personal.

Eyewitness News spoke with several people, including a man named William Hernandez who broke down as soon as he was asked for his reaction.

Hernandez is from Puerto Rico and remembers the pride he felt when Pope Francis was elected as the first pope from Latin America.

Crystal Cranmore has more:

Crystal Cranmore has more on the pride and loss felt by Catholic parishioners in Sunset Park, Brooklyn after the death of Pope Francis.

The Roman Catholic Church has had 266 leaders across three millennia.

Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the senior Vatican official who announced Pope Francis' death on Monday morning, will serve as head of the Catholic Church until a new pope is elected, according to the Vatican.

Born in Ireland, the 77-year-old Farrell has long ties in the United States, having served as the bishop of the Diocese of Dallas and auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., according to the Vatican.

Pope Francis nominated Farrell in 2019 to be the Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church with the responsibility of administering the property and revenues of the Holy See. In 2020, Francis also appointed Farrell as president of the Church's Commission on Confidential Matters and in 2023, the late pontiff elevated Farrell to president of the Vatican City State Supreme Court, according to the Vatican.

On Monday morning, Farrell broke the news to the world of Pope Francis' death, reading a statement at the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta at the Vatican, the pope's residence and where he died.

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