NEW YORK (WABC) -- World dignitaries and Catholic faithful attended Pope Francis' funeral in St. Peter's Square on Saturday.
Despite the presence of presidents and princes, prisoners and migrants ushered him into the basilica where he will be buried, reflecting his priorities as pope, as hundreds of thousands have flocked to the funeral Mass.
U.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, the U.N. chief and European Union leaders, as well as Prince William and the Spanish royal family, were in attendance.
Francis is breaking with recent tradition to be buried in the St. Mary Major Basilica in a simple underground tomb with just his name: Franciscus.
Argentinian-born Jorge Mario Bergoglio became the Catholic Church's 266th pope and the first ever from Latin America. He took the name Francis after the well-known St. Francis of Assisi, who ministered to the poor.
Pope Francis died on Easter Monday at the age of 88 after suffering a stroke, setting off mourning in the Catholic world and days of ritual at the Vatican.
One of the big questions about the next Pope is if he will lead the church more progressively like Pope Francis or will he return to a more conservative path like Popes of the past?
Catholics at Monday masses at St. Rose of Lima church in Brooklyn said they want the same qualities they admired in Pope Francis in his successor.
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People in our area with connections to Latin America continue to mourn the loss of the pope, including a reverend in New Jersey who has spent time with Pope Francis during events overseas.
As the first Latin American pope, Pope Francis undoubtedly had a special connection with Latinos all over the globe.
Father Leonardo Jaramillio, the pastor of Saint Paul Roman Catholic Church in Clifton, knows how significant the connection is -- especially after meeting Pope Francis three times in 2019, August 2023 and another time in 2023.
According to the Pew Research Center, New Jersey is the fifth largest state with a population of Argentine persons.
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On Monday, April 21, from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., the Empire State Building will shine its tower lights in gold and white to honor the life and legacy of Pope Francis.
In the magnificent cathedral where he celebrated mass nearly ten years ago, Pope Francis is being remembered for the extraordinary man that he was.
At this morning's mass, Cardinal Timothy Dolan raised the same chalice used by Francis during the Pope's own mass here during his historic, two-day visit in 2015. Something the Cardinal says he remembers vividly.
"I remember as we got out of the Popemobile in front of Saint Patrick's after that tumultuous drive down Fifth Avenue, he said, 'I thought Americans didn't like religion.' That was the caricature that he had," Cardinal Dolan said. "We know how different-that's not true at all. He was overwhelmed by the warmth and the embrace of the city. So, personal memories."
For a pope so devoted to social justice, the impoverished and the plight of immigrants-New York City, with its tradition of embracing immigrants was a perfect fit.
N.J. Burkett has more:
