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FINAL REST
Pope Francis laid in state in Vatican for public display as thousands of mourners queue to see body and pay last tribute
The Pope's casket will be placed on the main altar of the basilica for his followers to see
POPE Francis' coffin has been moved to St Peter’s Basilica for the faithful to mourn the death of the humble Pontiff.
Tens of thousands of Catholics are set to visit the Vatican over the next three days to pay respects to Francis, who will now lie in state inside the 16th-century basilica.
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Francis’s body - visible in red robes and a white ceremonial mitre with his hands clutching a rosary - was taken in an open coffin through the huge main door of the vast columned building.
Warm applause rang out as the scarlet-rimmed coffin was carried through crowds.
Choral music was played across the cobbled square as hushed crowds gathered in seating to watch the dramatic moment.
Key events this morning:
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- Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the camerlengo, will lead a prayer at Casa Santa Marta before Pope Francis's body is moved
- At 8am UK time, the coffin will be taken to St Peter's Basilica
- The procession will pass through the Piazza Santa Marta and Piazza dei Protomartiri Romani before entering the basilica
- Once inside the Catholic church, his casket will be placed on the main altar of the basilica
- Cardinal Farrell will preside over the Liturgy of the Word
- The public will be allowed to view the Pope from 11am local time
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Three days of public viewing have now been planned for Catholics to grieve the 88-year-old Pope, who died on Easter Monday after suffering a stroke.
The solemn rite preceded the beginning of Francis’s traditional lying in state ahead of his funeral.
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The Pontiff's funeral will take place on Saturday morning with a mass in St Peter’s Square in Vatican City in Rome, with the service scheduled to begin at 10am local time.
The Vatican has announced that St Peter's Basilica will be kept open until midnight on Wednesday and Thursday to allow the faithful to mourn.
Pope Francis is laid out in open coffin at The Vatican for key ceremony
Cardinals and top clergy members are expected to attend the funeral, along with world leaders from across the globe.
The public mourning period will end on Friday at 7pm local time.
The Pope's casket has been placed on the main altar of the basilica, unlike previous Popes who were kept on an elevated bier.
Till now, Francis had been lying in the Santa Marta Domus - his residence in the Vatican - in a private viewing for local residents and the Papal household.
Yesterday, the Vatican released images showing Francis lying in an open casket, wearing the traditional pointed headdress of bishops and red robes, his hands folded over a rosary.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's number two, was pictured praying by Francis.
As the world mourns the loss of the beloved Pontiff, carefully orchestrated plans are underway in the Vatican for his "humble" funeral.
The service will be led by the dean of the College of Cardinals and is expected to draw top world leaders who will join thousands of mourners from across the globe for the historic event.
This includes President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Meanwhile, No10 said that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will also attend the funeral.
Prince William is also to attend on behalf of the King, Kensington Palace announced.
King Charles and Queen Camilla previously paid tribute to the Pope in a touching statement.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa are also expected to attend.
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THE LAST RIDE
Marking the beginning of the last rites, Francis' coffin was kept at The Chapel of Casa Santa Marta - his Vatican residence - for a moment of prayer.
A funeral procession then headed heading towards St Peter’s Basilica, for the last rites.
The procession passed through the Vatican’s Santa Marta and the First Roman Martyrs Square.
From the Arch of the Bells, it exited into St Peter’s Square and entered St Peter’s Basilica through the central door.
The Pope will be kept in the open space of the basilica for thousands of followers to see and pray.
A funeral mass will then be co-celebrated by cardinals and ceremonially dressed senior clerics and other members of the clergy.
Following the funeral, the Pope’s body will be moved to the burial site outside the Vatican.
A humble Francis decreed in his will that he would be interred in a simple underground tomb at Santa Maria Maggiore, unlike the previous Popes who had been buried in the crypts beneath St Peter's Basilica.
Francis will be the first Pope in more than a hundred years to be buried outside of the Vatican walls.
He also said he had arranged for an unnamed benefactor to cover the costs of the burial.
Even the age-old tradition of preparing three coffins of cypress, lead and oak has been ditched, as desired by Francis during the years before his death.
He will be buried in a simple underground tomb prepared “without particular ornamentation,” marked only as “Franciscus,” according to his wishes.
Who will be the next Pope?
FOLLOWING the death of Pope Francis on the morning of Easter Monday, attention turns to the question of his successor.
Francis led the Catholic church for 12 years, right up until his death at 88 - as is tradition.
After the nine days of mourning have been observed - during which time Francis will be buried - the papal conclave will begin in order to select a successor.
All 252 cardinals from around the world will travel to Rome for the secret ballot, in which a maximum of 115 can vote.
When a candidate has two-thirds of the vote, they will be appointed Pope through a pontifical coronation.
Here are some of the front-runners:
- Cardinal Luis Tagle
- Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu
- Cardinal Pietro Parolin
- Cardinal Wim Ejik
- Cardinal Raymond Burke
- Cardinal Peter Erdo
- Cardinal Matteo Zuppi
- Cardinal Mario Grech
Saturday will mark the first of nine official days of mourning, a traditional period known as novemdiales.
Once this mourning phase concludes, the conclave process to elect the next Pope will formally begin.
Tens of thousands of catholics and followers of Pope Francis are expected to attend the events.
Apart from the top world leaders, a slew of celebrities could go to Rome to attend the historic event.
This could include stars like Leonardo DiCaprio and football legend Lionel Messi.
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'REFORMER' POPE
Pope Francis made history when he became the first leader of the Catholic Church from the Americas.
The then 76-year-old Archbishop of Buenos Aires, who was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was given his new name after he was elected to succeed Pope Benedict XVI on March 13, 2013.
He was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on December 17, 1936, to Italian immigrants.
The Argentine had worked as a bouncer before turning to the priesthood after recovering from pneumonia back in 1958.
Francis was ordained a priest on 13 December 1969 and trained in Spain for a year before moving back to Argentina.
Francis took over the role of Pope in 2014, and was seen as an outspoken moderniser, reformist and progressive.
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He had championed the decriminalisation of homosexuality, warned against threats to democracy, and supported the cause of refugees.
When he became the Pope, he shunned a grand papal apartment and chose to live in a modest two-room residence.
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