Pope Francis funeral live: World leaders gather in the Vatican as millions of Catholics prepare final farewell

Watch our live stream of the Pope’s funeral as world leaders gather in the Vatican to say farewell to the head of the Catholic Church.

Former US President Joe Biden has arrived at the Vatican alongside his wife, Jill, as they prepare to attend Pope Francis’ funeral this morning.

The former President and his wife looked sombre as they were pictured arriving in St Peter’s Square.

Current President Trump and his wife Melania are also in attendance.

Cardinals will elect a new pope after the official mourning period ends

The work of the conclave to choose a new pope won’t start until at least May 5, after nine days of public mourning.

Cardinals have been meeting daily in Rome to discuss church business as attention shifts to who will succeed Pope Francis in the Vatican.

Speaking on Thursday, Italian Cardinal Fernando Filoni said:

We are getting ready, but we still have not entered into the more intense phase. We are in the organisational phase.

UK theologian Professor Anna Rowlands said the identity of the next pope is ‘totally unpredictable’, adding the release of the film Conclave has likely sparked the public’s interest in the centuries-old process.

The timing of the film Conclave, even though obviously it is a fictional representation, the timing couldn’t be more powerful. I think people do have some sense that something big and momentous and dramatic will happen at the heart of the Catholic Church and here in Rome in the coming weeks.

Asked who is in the running to be the next pope, she said any predictions are currently based on ‘pure speculation’. She added:

Genuinely nobody knows. I think all bets are off.

Cardinals at the Vatican in Rome have been pictured as they prepare for the start of Pope Francis’ funeral following his death on Easter Monday.

The Argentine pontiff passed away just hours after making a final appearance to deliver his Easter message and meet crowds on Sunday.

The cardinals – of whom there are 252 – have gathered in Rome as is traditional after a Pope’s death, where they have organised proceedings for today.

It is the same cardinals who will soon have the duty of electing a new leader of the Catholic Church.

The obituary placed in his coffin described how Francis was the 266th Pope and that he would ‘remain in the heart of the Church and of humanity’.

It added that while in Buenos Aries as Archbishop he was a ‘simple and much loved shepherd’ who ‘traveled far and wide across the city on the underground and the bus, cooking his own meals because hew felt one of the people’.

It closed by saying:’ Francis has left everyone a wonderful testimony of humanity, life of a saint and universal fatherhood’.

The zinc inner lid that covered his body c carried his name, a cross and his coat of arms and the  of his papacy, 2013-2025, unlike previous Popes his was just a single coffin whereas previous ones had three caskets.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Rome ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis later today, a spokesperson has said.

He will be joined by leaders from around the world, including Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump.

Zelensky has travelled from Ukraine for the trip amid efforts to come to a ceasefire in the war with Russia.

Trump has been spearheading efforts and it has been reported that he may use this occasion as another opportunity to broker a deal.

However he has come under fierce criticism for threatening to walk away from negotiations if a deal is not made soon.

Zelensky cut a trip to South Africa short this week after the capital Kyiv was attacked, leading to the deaths of around ten people.

Let’s remind ourselves how we got to the funeral today following a sombre week in the Vatican and for millions of Catholics across the world:

Irish-born Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced to the world Pope Francis had died at his Vatican residence hours after appearing on the central lodge at St Peter Basilica on Easter Sunday. The 88-year-old suffered bouts of ill health including a 38-day stay at Gemelli Hospital where he was in a critical condition with double pneumonia. His last testament is published confirming a wish to be buried outside the Vatican at the Basilica of St Mary Major

The Vatican publishes the first images of the deceased pope lying in a wooden coffin dressed in red, with rosary beads draped across his hands. It is also confirmed Francis’s funeral will take place on Saturday at 10am local time and that his body will lie in state for three days to allow Catholics to mourn him.

Catholic cardinals performed a ritual ceremony before Francis’s body is transferred from the Santa Marta hotel where Francis lived to St. Peter’s Basilica where it goes on public display for the first time.

The surgeon who was at Pope Francis’s bedside when he died revealed how doctors fulfilled one of his final wishes by allowing him to die at home instead of in hospital. Sergio Alfieri, the Pope’s chief surgeon, said Francis failed to respond to any stimuli from medical staff as he lay open-eyed in a coma shortly before his death.

The final mourners pay their respects as world leaders start to arrive for the funeral. The Vatican confirms more than 250,000 people have viewed the Pope’s body lying in state for the past three days. At 8pm Irish-born Cardinal Kevin Farrell presides over the Rite of Sealing cereemony to close the coffin ahead of the funeral.

Thousands of mourners camped out overnight for today’s funeral for Pope Francis, with tens of thousands more expected to arrive in the coming hours.

‘We spent the whole night here in the car with the children,’ said Peruvian Gabriela Lazo, 41.

‘We are very sorry for what happened to him because we hold a South American pope in our hearts.’

‘He was not just the pope, he was what the definition of being human is,’ said Andrea Ugalde, 39, who flew from Los Angeles to attend Saturday’s mass.

Prince William is among the mourners attending the funeral and he will arrive this morning on a King’s Flight before heading back to London straight after, so he can watch his beloved Aston Villa play Crystal Palace in the FA Cup semi-final with his family.

US President Donald Trump and wife Melania landed over night and PM Sir Keir Stramer will also be among the VIPs sat close to the altar and the coffin of Pope Francis, Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelensky is also now coming, after saying on Friday he may be unable to attend.

Pope Francis nephew Mario Bergoglio, was also at the mass thanks to a travel company who paid for his ticket from Argentina after he revealed in a TV interview he was broke.

US president Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump touched down in Rome last night as the world prepares mark Pope Francis’ funeral.

Trump is one of dozens of world leaders who jetted to Italy ahead of the historic funeral of the pontiff, who died at the age of 88 on Monday.

Today, the world’s elite will be attending the formal funeral of the trailblazing religious figure, after three days where the world was given the chance to pay their respects to the late Catholic leader.

Yesterday evening, droves of faithfuls lined the streets of the Vatican City as they waited to pay tribute to Pope Francis.

The President of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, has predicted the funeral will be a ‘masterpiece’ in stage-managing ‘big egos’.

• Watch the video of the moment the Trumps arrived and read more here

Keir Starmer and Donald Trump will both attend the Pope’s funeral

The Vatican said at least 130 foreign delegations had confirmed their attendance at Pope Francis’s funeral on Saturday, including around 50 heads of state and 10 reigning monarchs.

Here is a list of VIP guests whose offices have confirmed they will be in Rome:

Argentina: President Javier Milei.

Brazil: President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his wife Janja.

Honduras: President Xiomara Castro.

United Nations: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

United States: President Donald Trump and his wife Melania.

Austria: Chancellor Christian Stocker.

Belgium: King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, with Prime Minister Bart De Wever.

Bulgaria: Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov.

Croatia: President Zoran Milanovic, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic.

Czech Republic: Prime Minister Petr Fiala.

Estonia: President Alar Karis.

European Union: EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa.

Finland: President Alexander Stubb.

France: President Emmanuel Macron.

Germany: President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz

Greece: Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Hungary: President Tamas Sulyok and Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Ireland: President Michael Higgins and his wife Sabina, plus Taoiseach (prime minister) Micheal Martin.

Kosovo: President Vjosa Osmani.

Latvia: President Edgars Rinkevics.

Lithuania: President Gitanas Nauseda.

Moldova: President Maia Sandu.

Monaco: Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene.

The Netherlands: Prime Minister Dick Schoof, Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp.

North Macedonia: President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova.

Norway: Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide.

Poland: President Andrzej Duda and his wife.

Portugal: President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Prime Minister Luis Montenegro.

Romania: Interim President Ilie Bolojan.

Russia: Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova.

Slovakia: President Peter Pellegrini.

Slovenia: President Natasa Pirc Musar and Prime Minister Robert Golob.

Spain: King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia.

Sweden: King Carl XVI Gustaf and his wife Queen Silvia, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.

Ukraine: President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife Olena Zelenska.

United Kingdom: Prince William representing head of state King Charles III and Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Israel: Yaron Sideman, Ambassador to the Holy See.

Cape Verde: President Jose Maria Neves.

Central African Republic: President Faustin-Archange Touadera.

Democratic Republic of Congo: President Felix Tshisekedi.

Gabon: President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema

India: President Droupadi Murmu.

Philippines: President Ferdinand Marcos and first lady Liza Marcos.

People pass through police security checks as they queue on the street

Security is tight around the Vatican with sharpshooters on rooftops overlooking the Vatican, patrols passing through the crowds and several units of soldiers can be seen armed with anti drone Italian made CPM jammers that look like bazookas.

More than 50 metal detectors and x ray machines have been set up along both colonnades either side of St Peter’s Square to scan people as they make their way as close as possible to try ad get a view but if you aren’t here already, you haven’t a hope.

Six giant TV screens have been set up along the Via della Concilazione, the main road that links to St Peter’s and there are others at Santa Maria Maggiore basilica where the Pope will be buried and elsewhere through the city as up to 500,000 are expected for the service.

On Friday after the coffin was sealed the Vatican said more than 250,000 had filed past Pope Francis coffin during his three day lying in state, with French president Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte being among the final few to pay their respects.

Rome’s turn in the spotlight will not end with the funeral. Huge crowds generally gather to wait for the outcome of the secret conclave of cardinals that elects a new pope. That is not expected to start before May 6.

The Pope’s coffin had been guarded through the night in St Peter’s Basilica by a detachment of Swiss Guards holding lances in their colourful uniforms.

Earlier the coffin had been closed by the Cardinal camerlengo Kevin Farrell who was joined by the scandal hit former Archbishop of LA Roger Mahony.

Following ancient ritual a bag of coins and medals minted during his reign were placed in the coffin along with an obituary detailing his life.

He was wearing his traditional red Papal robes, symbolising blood and love, his mitre and his favourite well worn black lace up shoes.

by Nick Pisa in Vatican City

Crowds began to gather overnight for the funeral of Pope Francis with many hoping to bag a good spot with a view of the altar at the front of St Peter’s.

By just after 7am local time there were thousands of people packed along Via della Concilazione singing hymns, praying and swapping stories about Pope Francis.

Although the day had dawned bright and sunny a chilly mist rolled in from the Tiber has begun to envelop the Vatican sending the temperature down.

The Pope’s funeral is scheduled to take place at 10am local time, 9am UK time.

Here’s what we can expect.

The Pope’s final journey will begin at the Altar of the Confessio, near the main altar of St Peter’s Basilica (pictured) above the tomb of St Peter, the first pope.

The coffin will be taken out of the basilica and placed on a dais in St Peter’s Square.

The service will be led by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals. He will be joined by cardinals, archbishops, bishops and priests from around the world.

Francis’ coffin will be brought back into the Basilica after the eucharist, final commendation and valediction.

Flanked by Swiss Guards, Pope Francis’ coffin will then be carried by the pallbearers – the ‘sediari’ – in procession with priests, bishops and cardinals across Rome’s River Tiber to the Basilica of St Mary Major (pictured above), where Francis will be buried.

This will be the first pope in over a century to be buried outside the Vatican.

MailOnline will livestream the funeral from 7am onwards.

BBC, Sky News, ITVX, the Vatican website and YouTube will also broadcast the event live.

Our stream will be pinned to the top of this page when it becomes live.

Hello and welcome to MailOnline’s live coverage of Pope Francis’s funeral in Vatican City as world pays its final respects to the head of the Catholic Church.

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend the funeral this morning in St Peter’s Square, among them heads of state, royals, Catholic officials and mourners from around the globe.

It comes after Francis died in the early hours of Easter Monday hours after he made a final public appearance on Easter Sunday despite ongoing health struggles.

The 88-year-old spent 38 days in Rome’s Gemelli hospital earlier this year after a respiratory illness turned into double pneumonia which had left him critically ill.

Italian and Vatican authorities have placed the area around St Peter’s under tight security with drones blocked, snipers on roofs and fighter jets on standby.

Stick with us throughout the day as we bring you the latest updates from the funeral which starts at 9am UK time (10am local time) plus reaction, analysis and the most eye-catching videos and pictures from the day.