Archbishop Peter Andrew Comensoli led hundreds of mourners for the Solemn Pontifical Mass at St Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne on Monday.
The mass followed weekend services held across the nation, including at St Patrick's Cathedral in Parramatta and St Francis Xavier's Cathedral in Adelaide.
They are the first local services following the Pope's funeral at the Vatican on Saturday, attended by 250,000 people and watched online by hundreds of millions.
Speaking at the Melbourne service, Archbishop Comensoli described Pope Francis as a person of "mercy".
"If there was ever a pope that proclaimed, lived, and embodied God's mercy, it was Francis," he said.
"Not just in word but in action. He reached out to the poor, the excluded, the wounded. He taught us not to judge but to accompany."
The mass was attended by hundreds including Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan.
Among the attendees was Melbourne woman Virginia, who hoped the church could continue to follow in the steps of the late Pope.
"Pope Francis is a symbol of what we need in the world: peace, simplicity, humility, and not being judgmental. Just learning how to accept and love each other," she told AAP.
"The world is in such a mess. Pope Francis has opened some doors which need to be kept open and widened as well. He's taken a really big step in the right direction."
Meanwhile, 24-year-old Gabriel told AAP it was important to take time out of his day to farewell the Pope and that staying to pray held deep meaning for him.
For 20-year-old Anita Cabric, the prospect of electing a new Pope felt challenging, but she was optimistic.
"It will be tough to follow the last Pope, but I'm hopeful," she told AAP.
Maeve Heaney, director of the Xavier Centre of Theology at the Australian Catholic University, was among those who attended the service in Rome.
She said it was a coincidence that she was there after she originally travelled to Rome for a symposium.
Associate Professor Heaney, who had met Pope Francis on three occasions, paid her respects as he lay in state in the days before his funeral.
"The days before the funeral have been very intense but I have a feeling it will be more tranquil as we move into a period of mourning," she told AAP.
Following the mourning period, cardinals will gather in Rome for a conclave to elect the new Pope, a process expected to start in 10 days.
Prof Heaney hoped the new Pope would continue Francis's legacy of synodality.
"For me, it's also an important point about bringing more women into leadership positions," she said.
"I want to trust that (the voting cardinals) will sit down and think carefully about what the church needs today and choose someone who will continue to bring it forward."
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