UN chief Guterres honours late pope Francis at memorial service

UN Secretary-General António Guterres honoured the late pope Francis as a "messenger of hope" adding that it is now the world's responsibility "to carry this hope forward."

Guterres, at a United Nations General Assembly memorial service on Tuesday, praised the deceased head of the Catholic Church.

"Our world would be a much better place if we followed his lifelong example of unity, compassion and mutual understanding through our own words and actions," the UN chief said.

He called on the international community to "renew our pledge to peace, human dignity and social justice" - causes to which the pope had dedicated "every moment of his most extraordinary life."