Pope Francis laid to rest

Pope Francis has been buried at Santa Maria Maggiore basilica following his funeral in the Vatican.

Dozens of leaders and dignitaries - including Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky, and Prince William - joined an estimated 400,000 mourners who lined the streets of Rome and gathered inside St Peter's Square itself.

In a statement, the Vatican said Pope Francis' coffin has been entombed in the Basilica of St Mary Major in central Rome.

The Vatican confirmed that Pope Francis had been buried at Santa Maria Maggiore basilica, which sits outside the Vatican walls in the centre of Rome.

"The Pope is the first in over a century to be buried outside the Vatican, and his entombment was a private event, allowing for those closest to him to pay their respects," the statement adds.

At least 400,000 people gathered in Vatican City for Pope Francis' funeral and lined the streets to watch his coffin being taken to the Santa Maria Maggiore church for burial, according to Italy's interior minister.

"We estimate not fewer than 400,000 people between those present in St Peter's Square and those along the route," Matteo Piantedosi tells Italian news programme TG5.

About 150,000 people lined the streets of Rome to watch as the Pope's coffin was carried in a procession to his final resting place, the Vatican reports.

That's slightly less than the number of people who gathered in St Peter's Square and the surrounding streets for the actual funeral mass.

The Vatican says for that ceremony, there were 250,000 mourners in the area.