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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.