The body of Pope Francis has been moved to St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican where it will lie in state for three days ahead of his funeral

The coffin was held aloft on a wooden platform carried by 14 pallbearers as a choir chanted psalms and Latin prayers and the basilica's bells tolled.

The crowds gathered outside applauded as the Pope's body was carried across St. Peter's Square and into the building.

A service was held inside the basilica after the coffin was installed with Cardinals and other members of the clergy paying their respects to Pope Francis before the building was re-opened to the public.

Tens of thousands of mourners are expected to travel to the Vatican to pay their respects to the pontiff during the lying in state period with the basilica being kept open from 7am until midnight (local time).

The basilica will close at 7pm (local time) on Friday (25.04.25) - the evening before the funeral.

The service will take place outdoors in front of St Peter's Basilica at 10am (local time) and will be led by the dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re.

William, Prince of Wales is expected to attend the funeral in place of his father, King Charles, while other attendees are expected to include US President Donald Trump, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Francis will become the first Pope in more than half a century to not be buried in the crypt of St Peter's Basilica within the Vatican, in accordance with his wishes, and will instead be laid to rest in Rome's Basilica of St Mary Major.

Francis' final testament, which has been released by the Vatican, stated he wished to break with tradition and be buried in Rome's Basilica of Saint Mary Major and "without particular decoration", and that his resting place bore the inscription Franciscus, his papal name in Latin.

He wrote: "As I sense the approaching twilight of my earthly life, and with firm hope in eternal life, I wish to set out my final wishes solely regarding the place of my burial.

"Throughout my life, and during my ministry as a priest and bishop, I have always entrusted myself to the Mother of Our Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary. For this reason, I ask that my mortal remains rest - awaiting the day of the Resurrection - in the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major.

"I wish my final earthly journey to end precisely in this ancient Marian sanctuary, where I would always stop to pray at the beginning and end of every Apostolic Journey, confidently entrusting my intentions to the Immaculate Mother, and giving thanks for her gentle and maternal care.

"I ask that my tomb be prepared in the burial niche in the side aisle between the Pauline Chapel (Chapel of the Salus Populi Romani) and the Sforza Chapel of the Basilica, as shown in the attached plan.

"The tomb should be in the ground; simple, without particular ornamentation, bearing only the inscription: Franciscus.

"The cost of preparing the burial will be covered by a sum provided by a benefactor, which I have arranged to be transferred to the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major. I have given the necessary instructions regarding this to Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, Extraordinary Commissioner of the Liberian Basilica. "May the Lord grant a fitting reward to all those who have loved me and who continue to pray for me. The suffering that has marked the final part of my life, I offer to the Lord, for peace in the world and for fraternity among peoples."