Pope Francis Presides Over Funeral of Former Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter's Square

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was memorialized Thursday at a special funeral in The Vatican led by his successor, Pope Francis — an unprecedented event in modern times.

The German pontiff died at age 95 on Saturday in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery after The Vatican revealed that his health had "worsened due to age."

A crowd of around 50,000 mourners crowded into St Peter's Square in Rome to witness the funeral, reported the BBC, citing police estimates. Thousands more also gathered to watch the proceedings on large TV screens erected across the Italian capital.

"God's faithful people, gathered here, now accompanies and entrusts to him the life of the one who was their pastor," Francis said as he led the mass in a homily Thursday morning after the ceremony started around 9:30 a.m., reported multiple outlets including CNN.

"Like the women at the tomb, we too have come with the fragrance of gratitude and the balm of hope, in order to show him once more the love that is undying," added Francis. "We want to do this with the same wisdom, tenderness and devotion that he bestowed upon us over the years. Together, we want to say: 'Father, into your hands we commend his spirit.'"

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Antonio Masiello/Getty Images The Funeral Of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

"Benedict, faithful friend of the Bridegroom, may your joy be complete as you hear his voice, now and forever," Francis continued.

During the funeral, prayers were also offered in German, Italian, Portuguese, French and Arabic.

The former pope's coffin was later transported through the Basilica of St. Peter's and taken to the Vatican crypt where he will be interred in a tomb first used for Pope John Paul II until he was made a saint and transferred to a position in the basilica.

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Christopher Furlong/Getty Images The Funeral Of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

"Never before has there been a funeral like this," a priest, who wishes to remain anonymous, tells PEOPLE. "There is a pope celebrating them and this has never happened. … It's an exceptional event."

But as Vatican author and journalist Francesco Peloso also tells PEOPLE, Benedict previously proved "anything is possible" with his historic retirement in 2013, nearly 10 years before his death.

"His resignation, it must be remembered, was the most revolutionary of actions that have been enacted within the Catholic church from the most traditional of people," Peloso says. "This is the uniqueness of Benedict."

Franco Origlia/Getty Images The Funeral Of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI Takes Place In St Peter’s Basilica

The former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was "a very shy, reserved man," even during his time leading the Church, Peloso says.

Italy and Germany were the only countries invited to send delegations to Thursday's event, according to the Associated Press.

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"Benedict is a bit like my father, so I had to pay homage to him," Cristina Grisanti, from Milan told the BBC at the funeral. She also praised the former Pope for his "purity, his candor, his mildness".

"We owe him so much. We want to show that we stand behind him," added Benedikt Rothweiler from Germany, who traveled to the mass with his family, per the BBC.

"He always accepted everything the way God wants it," he added. "This is a good example for us humans."

Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images The Funeral Of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI Takes Place In St Peter’s Basilica

Benedict left behind a complex legacy. Child sexual abuse scandals impacted his papacy, including two separate reports in 2009 that described the level of abuse within the Irish Church.

This January, a church-commissioned report determined that the former pontiff failed to discipline priests in at least four cases of sexual abuse while he served as the archbishop of Munich, Germany.

"He was, it must be remembered, a figure that was very much loved by some and on the other hand caused much controversy for others," the expert says.

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Still, Peloso says Benedict was "a great defender of the Catholic faith in the more traditional sense" as the modern world developed around him.

"The secularization process brought about by modernity undermined his attempts," Peloso said of Benedict's attempts to defend the faith, "and even though he tried to oppose the flow of history — often in a grandiose way — he lost before even starting."