Vatican City • In a solemn and majestic funeral on the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica, the Roman Catholic Church on Saturday laid to rest Pope Francis, the first South American pope, whose simple style, pastoral vision and outsize footprint on the world stage reinvigorated and divided the institution that he led for a dozen years.

As tens of thousands of Catholics waited in hourslong lines to pay their respects to Pope Francis, many were debating the direction of the church.