As the sun beats down on St Peter's Square, there's a sea of umbrellas as pilgrims try to keep cool under the relentless sun. Crowds are streaming in on both sides of the square, in calm and orderly queues to see Pope Francis lying in state in the basilica. In the past few hours the whole area around the Vatican has begun to feel far busier, with increased security and checkpoints around the square and a heavy police presence. Among those we've spoken to are a mixture of tourists in Rome already, and pilgrims who have travelled here especially - Catholics from around the world including groups from the UK, the US and Zimbabwe.

Thousands of people poured into St. Peter's Basilica on Wednesday to pay their final respects to Pope Francis, whose body is lying in state for three days ahead of his funeral on Saturday. Crowds stretched down the main boulevard leading through Rome into the Vatican, pressing forward slowly in warm spring sunshine as people took their turn to see the late pontiff in his open coffin. The body of the 88-year-old pope, who died two days ago in his rooms at the Vatican's Santa Marta guesthouse after suffering a stroke, was brought to St. Peter's in a solemn procession earlier on Wednesday. Red-hatted cardinals, bishops, candle-carrying friars and helmeted Swiss Guards walked slowly into the vast square in front of the basilica as a choir chanted psalms and prayers in Latin while a bell gently tolled.

Catholic cardinals performed the ritual ceremony on Wednesday to transfer Pope Francis’ body from his home in the Vatican hotel to St. Peter’s Basilica to offer three days of public viewing before his funeral. Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who is running the Vatican administration until Francis' successor is elected, presided over the ceremony in the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta hotel where Francis lived. A choir sang as cardinals wearing their red cassocks and capes stood in prayer. Francis' casket was escorted by a procession of solemn cardinals and Swiss Guards through the same piazza where he greeted the faithful from his popemobile just days before in what would be his final goodbye.