Pope Franciss funeral is taking place in St Peters Square this morning as world leaders gather in Vatican City to pay their final respects to the head of the Catholic Church.
Vast crowds will line the square in front of St Peters Basilica where Francis lay in state for three days following his death on Easter Monday at the age of 88.
Dozens of heads of state and royals will attend the service in the most prominent gathering of world leaders since the second inauguration of US President Donald Trump in January.
Live updates below
WATCH LIVE: Pope Francis's funeral in the Vatican
Watch our live stream of the Popes funeral as world leaders gather in the Vatican to say farewell to the head of the Catholic Church.
How will the funeral unfold? And how can we watch it?
The Popes funeral is scheduled to take place at 10am local time, 9am UK time.
Heres 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 7.30am 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.
Pope Francis's funeral takes place in Vatican City
Hello and welcome to MailOnlines live coverage of Pope Franciss 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 Peters 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 Romes 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 Peters 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.
