Pope Francis has been buried at Santa Maria Maggiore basilica following his funeral in the Vatican
Pope Francis "touched minds and hearts" and wanted to "build bridges, not walls", said Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, who led the funeral service
Dozens of leaders and dignitaries - including Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky, and Prince William - joined an estimated 400,000 mourners who lined the streets of Rome and gathered inside St Peter's Square itself
Trump and Zelensky met inside St Peter's Basilica before the funeral - Zelensky says the meeting "has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results"
The Ukrainians also released a picture of Trump and Zelensky in conversation with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron
We can bring you images now from St Peter's Square, where the arrival of the first mourners has coincided with the sunrise over Vatican City. The square opened at 06:00 local time (05:00 BST).
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty Images
Laura Gozzi
Reporting from Rome
Image source, Getty ImagesThe seat at the Vatican had been vacant for two days when a group of grey-clad nuns stood on St Peter's Square and started to sing.
Softly at first then louder, as if to encourage those who joined in timidly, the nuns broke into Ave Maria.
Every so often they shuffled a few inches forward, following the queue for Pope Francis's lying in state. And all the while they sang, their faces turned to St Peter's Basilica to their left, their white veils glistening under their large sun hats.
It was a fitting sight for an extraordinary week in which Rome has seemed to regain its reputation as the "capital of the world" – and St Peter's Square as the centre of the Catholic universe.
There is mourning, but also recognition that the Pope, who lived to 88, died quickly and peacefully.
Yet this isn't the time for celebration either - that will have to wait until after today's funeral, when the conclave will spark the usual frenzy of excitement, intrigue and inevitable speculation.
After lying in state for the past three days, Pope Francis's coffin will soon be removed from St Peter's Basilica and carried out to St Peter's Square - located just outside the front doors.
The funeral mass will be held outdoors, with heads of state and tens of thousands of mourners expected to gather in the public square.
The ceremony will begin at 10:00 local time (09:00 BST) and is expected to last for around an hour and a half.
After the mass has ended, Francis's body will be transported to the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome for burial.
A nine-day mourning period will then begin.
Overnight, we were sent images from Rome of mourners queuing in the early hours of this morning along the streets near the Vatican.
Here's a selection from the Reuters news agency, which we received between 03:00 and 05:00 local time (02:00 and 04:00 BST):
Image source, Reuters
Image source, Reuters
Image source, Reuters
Image source, Getty ImagesThe sun is about to begin rising over St Peter's Basilica, the site where the late Pope Francis has been lying in state for the last three days.
More than 250,000 people from across the globe have come offer their final goodbyes in that time. Today marks the beginning of the next phase of his papal rites.
The funeral mass will commence at 10:00 local time (09:00 BST), with thousands of mourners expected to gather in front of the basilica for the outdoor ceremony.
Our correspondents in Vatican City will be providing live updates and snap analysis on this page throughout the day.
You can also follow developments by pressing the watch live button above.
Image source, Reuters