President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday said that his attendance at Pope Francis’ funeral in Rome is “a gesture of deep respect” on behalf of the Catholic-majority Philippines.

The Philippines is “one of the world’s most faithful nations” and Pope Francis has “touched the hearts of millions,” Marcos Jr. Said in a statement released after the Pope was laid to rest.

“I represented not just the Philippine government, but the everyday Filipino — prayerful, hopeful and grateful — who would have wanted to be there to say thank you to a shepherd who made them feel seen,” he said.

 “This is a moment of shared faith, national pride, and quiet tribute from the Filipino people to a Pope who walked with the humble and gave voice to the unseen,” he said.

Filipino Catholics have been endeared with Pope Francis, especially after the pontiff visited the country in early 2015 to hold a mass in Manila and visit typhoon victims in the Visayas.

Marcos Jr. joined some 170 other world leaders in the Pope’s funeral service in the Vatican.

Among those he was seen conversing with were US President Donald Trump and his predecessor Joe Biden.

Hundreds of thousands at funeral for pope 'with an open heart'

'Shared loss': Filipino Catholics bid Pope Francis farewell

The Vatican said 400,000 people packed St Peter's Square and lined the streets of Rome for the funeral of the first Latin American leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.

After a solemn funeral, the Argentine pontiff's plain wooden coffin was driven slowly to Rome's Santa Maria Maggiore church, where he was interred in a private ceremony.

Francis died on Monday aged 88.

Francis laid to rest as 400,000 mourn pope 'with an open heart'