Paul Kirby
Europe digital editor

Image source, Reuters

More now on the brief meeting Ukraine's president had with Donald Trump just before Pope Francis' funeral.

The White House says the two leaders met privately and had a "very productive discussion", adding that more details would be given later.

The meeting took place inside St Peter's Basilica after they had paid their respects to the Pope, according to Italy's Rai TV, rather than at the US embassy as expected.

This is the first time they have met since that tempestuous meeting in the Oval Office at the end of February, when Zelensky was accused of not saying thank you for US aid to Ukraine.

Only this week, Trump said Zelensky had "no cards to play" in a peace deal with Russia.

Daniel Wittenberg
Reporting from Rome

Meanwhile, on the other side of Rome, people from around the world are already starting to queue at the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica, where the late pontiff will be interred after today's funeral.

Several hundred have arrived, hoping to secure a spot on the square in front of the church.

New friendships are being made. Simona from Turin met Teresa from Rome while waiting outside the church.

“I wanted to be here to honour him," Simona says. “I can’t not be here."

Next on the order of service we have the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

This is the part of the ceremony where bread and wine are consecrated and become the body and blood of Christ. It is then shared.

Then, this will be followed by more prayers which you can follow on the order of service here.

Laura Gozzi
Reporting from St Peter's Square

There was long applause when the cardinal talked about the need to end wars.

There was no clapping - as far as I could see - from the heads of state. But they did clap when the cardinal asked the Pope to pray for us.

The homily has now ended.

The Pope was faced with the raging wars of recent years, Cardinal Re notes, and he "incessantly raised his voice" to call for peace.

"War, he said, results in the death of people and the destruction of homes, hospitals and schools. War always leaves the world worse than it was before: it is always a painful and tragic defeat for everyone," Cardinal Re says quoting the Pope.

"Build bridges, not walls" was something Pope Francis repeated many times, he adds.

Laura Gozzi
Reporting from St Peter's Square

There was big applause here in St Peter's Square when Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re said the Pope’s first trip was to Lampedusa, and that he celebrated a mass at the border between Mexico and the US.

The cardinal is now commemorating the Pope's work to serve refugees and displaced people, highlighting that his first journey as Pope was to the southern Italian island of Lampedusa, which many migrants have used as a gateway to the EU.

That visit was "significant", he says, noting that the island symbolises "the tragedy of emigration, with thousands of people drowning at sea".

"In the same vein was his trip to Lesbos, together with the Ecumenical Patriarch and the Archbishop of Athens, as well as the celebration of a Mass on the border between Mexico and the United States during his journey to Mexico."

• Read more about that visit to Lampedusa and his work with refugees here.

The Vatican says 200,000 people are attending the Pope's funeral in St Peter's Square and the surrounding area.

Meanwhile, Italian police have updated their earlier figure, putting the number at around 150,000 - that includes around 50,000 gathered in St Peter's Square itself.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Getty Images

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re is continuing with the homily, and is now paying homage to Pope Francis' "pastoral leadership", which he says was maintained "through his resolute personality".

"He established direct contact with individuals and peoples, eager to be close to everyone, with a marked attention to those in difficulty, giving himself without measure, especially to the marginalised, the least among us," he says.

"He was a Pope among the people, with an open heart towards everyone. He was also a Pope attentive to the signs of the times and what the Holy Spirit was awakening in the Church."

We are now hearing from the dean of the College of Cardinals - Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re.

He is delivering the homily which you can follow here as it is read out.

The homily begins with the cardinal remembering Pope Francis and his legacy:

Paul Kirby
Europe digital editor

Image source, Getty Images

The US president is sitting with other heads of state in the front row, close to the steps of St Peter's Basilica. And intriguingly he and First Lady Melania are sitting between two staunch supporters of Ukraine.

Estonia's President Alar Karis is to Melania's left, and Finland's Alexander Stubb to Trump's right.

Because while the main focus is on the funeral service, considerable attention is focused on potential diplomatic moves on the sidelines.

As the US leader talks of being "very close" to a Russia-Ukraine peace deal, we know that Trump had a brief meeting with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky ahead of the funeral.

For 90 minutes or more, Trump is now sandwiched between two of Zelensky's closest allies.

He knows Stubb well, having played golf with him at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida only weeks ago. At the time Stubb said he told Trump he couldn't trust Russia's Putin.

If Estonia's leader does get a chance to bend Trump's ear, he would probably say the same.

We can now bring you a moment from before the service began: as Ukraine's President Zelensky appeared in St Peter's Square, applause could be heard from the crowds (there are several large screens showing proceedings in the square).

We are now hearing the liturgy of the word.

This section asks the faithful to listen and reflect on readings from the Bible.

Pope Francis' funeral mass includes a reading from the Acts of the Apostles (read by Kielce Gussie, a journalist from Vatican News) followed by a second reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Philippians.

In between the two readings will be a responsorial Psalm.

Image source, Getty Images

About 140,000 people are now gathering in St Peter's Square and the nearby streets for Pope Francis' funeral, Italian police report.

That includes 40,000 people in St Peter's Square itself, which is almost at capacity.

Image source, Getty Images

While the funeral takes place in St Peter's Square, here is some diplomatic news from the sidelines.

Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky met Donald Trump before the service, according to Zelensky's spokesman Serhiy Nikiforov, quoted in Ukrainian media.

Both leaders are currently in St Peter's Square for the service.

Image source, Getty Images

Pope Francis' funeral mass is starting and we are now hearing the entrance antiphon.

This is a selection of psalm verses or scripture passages that are traditionally sung or recited.

We have a translation of the Vatican's full order of service, if you'd like to follow along there.

Image source, Reuters

Pope Francis' funeral service this morning is being led by the dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re.

The 91-year-old Italian was ordained for the Diocese of Brescia in 1957. In 2001, Pope John Paul II proclaimed him as a cardinal.

He was elected as dean of the College of Cardinals in 2020, and Pope Francis extended his term in February this year.

He participated in the conclave of April 2005, which elected Pope Benedict XVI and in the conclave of March 2013, which elected Pope Francis.

Pope Francis' funeral is now under way.

As a reminder, you can follow along by clicking watch live at the top of this page, or you can watch on BBC One or the BBC iPlayer.

We also have a full English version of the Vatican's order of service here.

Lebo Diseko
BBC World Service global religion reporter, in St Peter's Square

Image source, Reuters

Pope Francis' coffin is now being carried out from St Peter's Basilica into St Peter's Square.

Remember: today's proceedings are going to look a bit different than previous papal funerals.

For instance, Pope Francis will be laid to rest in a simple wooden casket and instead of being buried in three coffins, he'd asked to only be entombed in one.

These more humble last wishes also reflect who he was as the leader of the Catholic Church.

Throughout his tenure, he often times sided with the plight of refugees and urged compassion for people fleeing their homes.

"Sometimes foreign people are invisible," Cedric Musau Kasongo told me. He's a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo who met the Pope in 2023.

"To be in front of the Pope, to greet him, to hold his hand, for me it was a great gesture. I felt even more welcomed, seen, and heard."