Richard Owen, The Times's Correspondent in Rome, watched as the world stood still for three hours to pay tribute to the Pope.

"There has probably never been a papal funeral like it. It was a memorable occasion for a memorable Pope.

"Those who remember the service after the death of John Paul I in 1978 described it as a sombre occasion. This was certanly solemn in part, but huge numbers of people spontaneously broke into applause at least 13 or 14 times.

"They were chanting 'Viva il Papa', which means ' Long Live the Pope'. It may seem a strange thing to say for someone who has died, but it was oddly appropriate. It was almost as if he was still there and the faithful were gathered beneath his window just as they had done so many times before during his lifetime.

"Cardinal Ratzinger acknowledged this when he said at the end of his eulogy, to huge applause, that the Pope was looking down from his window at the House of the Lord to bless the crowd.

"Although it was a very emotional occasion, the crowd was at times more like the crowd at a football match than a funeral. Cardinal Ratzinger had to pause repeatedly to wait for the cheering and clapping to die down before he could continue.

"What the funeral illustrated was the huge admiration that has built up for John Paul in 26 years and has brought all these people to Rome from over the world.

"What will be most memorable is the extraordinary colour and pageantry. The array of robes, the red of the cardinals, the purple of the archbishops and the rich gold vestments of the Eastern patriarchs. The wind was causing the cardinals robes to flap about and the grey skies overhead added to the sombre mood.

"There was a very moving moment at the end when the pallbearers turned the coffin towards the crowd for the last time and dipped it in a kind of salute. That too got a huge round of applause.

"At the same time, providentially, the sun broke through the clouds. It was almost a sign from the heavens."

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