He added that Francis's successor did not have to be his likeness, for "every pope has a message for the world today".

In his homily at the funeral, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re highlighted the Jesuit pope's defence of migrants, relentless calls for peace and belief that the Church was a "home for all".

"I hope we get another pope as skilled as Francis at speaking to people's hearts, at being close to every person, no matter who they are," 53-year-old Maria Simoni from Rome said.

Many of the mourners expressed hope that the next pope would follow Francis's example, at a time of widespread global conflict and growing hard-right populism.

Marx said the debate over the next pope was open, adding: "It's not a question of being conservative or progressive... The new pope must have a universal vision."

Pray for ourselves

More than 220 of the Church's 252 cardinals were at Saturday's funeral. They will gather again on Sunday afternoon at Santa Maria Maggiore to pay their respects at Francis's tomb.

There will also be a mass at St Peter's Basilica at 10:30am on Sunday, led by Pietro Parolin, who was secretary of state under Francis and is a front-runner to become the next pope.

Only cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote in the conclave. There are 135 currently eligible - most of whom Francis appointed himself.

But experts caution against assuming they will choose someone like him.

Francis, a former archbishop of Buenos Aires who loved being among his flock, was a very different character to his predecessor Benedict XVI, a German theologian better suited to books than kissing babies.

Benedict in turn was a marked change from his Polish predecessor, the charismatic, athletic and hugely popular John Paul II.

Francis's changes triggered anger among many conservative Catholics and many of them are hoping the next pope will turn the focus back to doctrine.

Some cardinals have admitted the weight of the responsibility that faces them in choosing a new head of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.

"We feel very small," Hollerich said last week. "We have to make decisions for the whole Church, so we really need to pray for ourselves."

AFP