Ione Wells
Reporting from Buenos Aires

We’ve reported a lot on how Pope Francis left a legacy of helping the poorest in society.

I spoke to Sergio Sanchez who runs a soup kitchen in the Pope’s home city of Buenos Aires, who knew the Pope personally when he was archbishop of the city.

"To my surprise, he sent an invitation to his inauguration to us as a family, to be by his side. It was very exciting. I saw the Kings, the presidents, I was right there. I travelled to Rome several times," he says.

He recalls one message of the Pope to "make a mess, the right way".

"It remained a slogan that some criticised. But the pope said people shouldn’t stay silent, they should fight for their rights, which is what we fought for. He always said to help others, which is what I did through this huge soup kitchen I made."

He remembers the Pope washing the feet of prisoners in the city which he described as "life-changing".

"It gives people dignity and tells them: ‘Hey, you have to change.’"

Sergio hopes that the Pope’s legacy will continue and that people do not forget "there are still thousands of poor people in the world".

Maryam Moshiri
Chief Presenter, reporting from the Vatican

There are so many people here in the square - from all over the world and from all walks of life.

We spoke to Father Mark Cassidy, rector of the Pontifical Scots College in Rome - a training ground for future Scottish priests.

Father Mark met the pope privately in the hope of getting some help with moving the college closer to the Vatican - and reflected on how that meeting went.

"We were just the three of us sitting round his desk, a very relaxed encounter and you really saw what the man cared about, he cared about the people who came to him looking for help and for support," he tells us.

"But also, remarkably he's a great man for remembering.

"Two months later at a general audience with a group of priests, he looked at me and said 'Ah you! How is your move at the college going?' And I think that was the mark of the man."

Pope Francis's funeral will take place at 10:00 local time (09:00 BST) on Saturday.

However, he will be the first Pope in more than a century not to be buried in the crypt at the Basilica - he will instead be laid to rest at the Basilica of St Mary Major in Rome.

It was a wish he expressed in his final testament - writing: "The tomb should be in the ground; simple, without particular ornamentation, bearing only the inscription: Franciscus."

The below image shows the boundaries of the Vatican City.

Sister Patricia Murray is the executive secretary of the International Union of Superiors General, the main umbrella group of women's religious orders.

She knew Pope Francis well and met him many times.

"I'm sad, obviously it's like when you lose a good friend, you regret their passing, there's something missing from your own life but also it's a time to reflect and look back and just give thanks for so many things," Sister Patricia says.

"For me, it was just the warmth and humanity of the man, you met a friend, he took you by the hand, he looked into your eyes, you were a special person for him."

She adds that Pope Francis "paved the way" for the role of women in the Catholic Church.

Brenda Cleary from Whiteabbey in County Antrim was already due to be in Rome for the canonisation of Carlo Acutis, which has now been paused until there is a new Pope.

"It's a sad occasion but at the same time it's lovely to be here," she tells BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme.

"I was privileged in meeting Pope Francis and I had someone who translated, and I found in his company - very relaxed, he made you feel so at home, an amazing, amazing man."

Brenda plans to view the late Pope's coffin on Thursday, travel to Assisi about 80 miles outside of Rome to view the remains of Carlo Acutis, then back to Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday.

"I know it will be a long day but worth every penny because I love Pope Francis," she says.

"Let's hope and pray that the next pope we have will have that quality that Pope Francis had."

As thousands of people continue to file through the iconic St Peter's Basilica, where the late Pope Francis is lying in state, we've created some graphics to give you a sense of what they're seeing once inside.

Mourners are being directed down the Nave, with a view of St Peter's Baldachin - a 17th Century Baroque canopy sculpted out of bronze.

The high altar is also visible, where the relic known as the Chair of St Peter is housed, a wooden throne which Catholic tradition says belonged to the first Pope and leader of early Christians in Rome.

Pope Francis's body has been laid in an open coffin in front of the Papal Altar, stood over by four Swiss Guards - the traditional guard of honour of the papacy.

Overlooking the coffin is the statue of Saint Longinus, a 4-metre (13ft) tall marble 17th Century piece by the iconic Italian sculptor Bernini, holding a spear in his right hand.

Longinus is the name of the Roman soldier who is said to have pierced the side of Jesus with a lance while he was on the cross.

Sarah Rainsford
Reporting from St Peter's Square

The queue to see the Pope now stretches out of St Peter’s square and down the street, the first time that’s happened since Francis’s body was moved to lie in state.

So far, the Vatican says more than 50,000 people have paid their respects. They left the Basilica open through much of the night because so many were still queueing.

Some had come after work. Others had been hoping for a shorter line in the evening.

“I think the Pope was an amazing man, so I wanted to see him,” 13-year-old Edoardo says, waiting after midnight with his parents. “I am really sorry. But I think maybe he will enjoy heaven.”

This morning the crowd was so large some were turning away.

“It looks like five or six hours, so we’ll come back later,” Catherine, a Catholic from Birmingham told us.

“Francis was more outspoken about issues relevant to now: the poor, human rights. He was more relatable. A people person.”

Olha Kalmykova
BBC News Ukrainian, reporting from the Vatican

While visiting St Peter’s Basilica, a group of Ukrainian tourists who are mourning the late Pope Francis spoke to me about their sadness at his death, praising him for consistently showing sympathy towards Ukrainian people.

“Unfortunately, this news was very upsetting for us because it matters a lot,” says Maryna. “He always supported Ukraine and treated us – and our president – with respect. So, this news was not easy for us. We truly held him in high regard.”

Ukraine’s President Zelensky, who met Pope Francis three times at the Vatican, is expected to return on Saturday to attend the funeral.

Despite their sense of loss, the group also shares a hope that the next Pope will continue – and perhaps even deepen – the Vatican’s support for Ukraine and pursuit of peace.

“Being here today is a great opportunity for us to say our final goodbye to the Pope,” says Anna. “And of course, we hope that the next Pope will also continue to support and help Ukraine in every possible way.”

Larysa adds: “This is a great loss for the whole world. But at the same time, it gives us hope – that the new Pope will make even greater efforts to help Ukraine and the world, and to work for peace across the globe.”

Jorge Perez
BBC Mundo, reporting from Rome

I’ve been speaking to two groups of Mexican tourists who have changed their travel plans to be in Rome and pay their respects to Pope Francis.

Eva Asensio was on holiday in Florence when she heard the news on Easter Monday. She tells us she knew immediately that she had to come to the Vatican.

“It’s a moment of recognition,” she says, with tears in her eyes. “It’s a horrible time, but we can’t stop the passage of time, nor the will of God."

“We saw him as a good Pope – someone who supported everyone, no matter your sexual orientation, no matter where you came from. He united us.”

The Mexican visitors I met felt a particular bond with Francis, the first Latin American Pope.

“He was from Argentina, I’m Mexican – but it didn’t matter. He was a unifier,” Eva says.

“He treated everyone equally and promoted peace. We came here to say thank you for what he did for us – and to pray that the new Pope will be as right-minded in his ideas. We ask God to help us.”

Meanwhile, Arcelia, another Mexican tourist, had been due to leave Rome today but is now looking into changing her flight so she can see the Pope’s coffin in St Peter’s Basilica.

“It’s an honour to be here,” she says. “We had hoped to see the Pope while he was still alive – and now we will see him, but sadly in a different way. Still, it’s an honour. We want to stay.”

Image source, Reuters

As the sun rises over the Vatican this morning, the crowds are continuing to gather to pay their respects to Pope Francis.

The late pontiff, who died on Monday, is currently lying in state in an open coffin in St Peter's Basilica - he'll remain there until his funeral on Saturday.

The basilica's doors stayed open all so that a large crowd gathered on the square had a chance to file past the coffin. At midnight, when the church was supposed to close for the night, there was still a very long queue of people wanting to pay their respects

Pilgrims and tourists have continued to file in this morning.

We're restarting our live coverage now. We won't be providing regular text updates, but you can watch the crowds inside St Peter's Basilica by pressing watch live at the top of the page.

Alex Smith
Live editor

Image source, EPA

It was a solemn day in the Vatican.

Pope Francis's coffin was carried via procession from his residence at Casa Santa Marta to St Peter's Basilica, where he will lie in state until his funeral on Saturday.

As the sun beat down on St Peter's Square, a packed crowd of thousands - from tourists to pilgrims - gathered to bear witness to today's historic events.

Many of these will likely have joined the queue to pay their respects to the Pope.

Image source, EPA

Image source, Reuters

The late pontiff's coffin is now resting inside St Peter's Basilica - in front of the Papal Altar - and will remain there until his funeral.

Long queues of people moved through the square outside, and through the halls of the basilica, waiting patiently to catch a glimpse of the Pope lying in state.

Image source, Reuters

Our reporter inside described how strikingly quiet it was, despite the numbers, with many lingering to admire the staggering beauty of the building.

Now, as the clock approaches midnight in the Vatican - 23:00 here in London - the basilica is closing to the public for the night. Its doors will reopen at 07:00 local time (06:00 BST) tomorrow morning.

We're pausing our live coverage now and will return on Thursday morning.

Laura Gozzi
Reporting from St Peter's Basilica

This is the view from the media area inside St Peter's Basilica (see below).

Under the watchful marble eye of popes and saints, a steady stream of people walk up to the pope's body in his simple casket, pay their respects - some kneel, others cross themselves - and slowly move on.

Many linger to admire the staggering beauty of the basilica.

What's striking is how quiet it is in here given how many thousands of people there are. Occasionally, a baby cries. But by and large it's all very quiet, and very solemn.

• As a reminder, we are not posting regular text updates on this page - but you can watch the queues inside St Peter's Basilica live at the top of the page

Rosanna Pound-Woods
Reporting from Vatican City

Image source, Reuters

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.

They've told us they feel it's their duty to be here, and that it wasn't difficult to find flights to travel over.

There are priests and nuns and other people of all ages, including some with young children. At the edge of the square, the media circus continues to grow - every so often a cardinal will walk through, chased by a scrum of cameras and journalists looking for comment ahead of the conclave.

From the rooftop of a nearby convent where we're broadcasting from, we can see the queue snaking around the sides of the square.

For those in it, there's a palpable sense of unity as they wait to pay their respects to Pope Francis.

• As a reminder, we are not posting regular text updates on this page - but you can watch the queues inside St Peter's Basilica live at the top of the page

Image source, Rosanna Pound-Woods / BBC

Image source, Reuters

Pope Francis will now lie in state at St Peter's Basilica where the public will be able to pay their respects to him over the coming days.

This morning, we followed the procession of his coffin from Casa Santa Marta, where he died, to the Basilica. It was one of a number of rites that have been taking place since Francis's death on Monday.

Cardinals accompanied him on the journey as crowds from across the world gathered along the way - at points some could be heard clapping, others were seen in tears.

A queue has now formed of those wanting to visit his coffin before his funeral on Saturday. Among those waiting are newlyweds Luis and Macarena who told the BBC they travelled to Rome hoping to receive Pope Francis's blessing.

"I think we received the blessing from above," Luis said.

We'll soon be pausing our regular text updates but you can still watch mourners paying their final tributes to Pope Francis by clicking Watch Live at the top of the page.

You can also keep up to date with the latest in our story.

Laura Gozzi
Reporting from Vatican City

Image source, Laura Gozzi/BBC

As we’ve been reporting, Rome and the Vatican have stepped up security measures to deal with the huge numbers of people expected this weekend - as well as dozens of heads of state and royals.

Earlier I asked this soldier about the hefty contraption he was holding.

He says it's a “precaution against drones”, though he then adds: “As you can’t imagine I can’t tell you how it works.”

It looks like a handheld drone hammer - a device which is able to disrupt drone radio frequencies and, in some cases, force drones to return to their home point.

When I asked the soldier whether the device could do all that he neither agreed nor disagreed, but said mysteriously: “Maybe, among other things.”

Image source, Reuters

At least 250,000 people are expected to attend Pope Francis's funeral on Saturday.

Tens of thousands have already descended on Vatican City over the last two days to pay their respects to the late pontiff.

At least 100 delegates from around the world are also set to attend the ceremony and security is expected to tight.

Sarah Rainsford
Reporting from Vatican City

Rome is always a place of pilgrimage for Catholics.

This year is a Holy year, a Jubilee, which comes around every couple of decades, so there were already security measures in place to deal with large number of Catholics heading for the Vatican.

Since the Pope's death there's been an increase in security and other measures put in place. This morning, police barricades are up and officers are conducting checks on those entering St Peter’s Square.

But this is a city, and a church which is well used to dealing with such big ceremonial moments.

It's not just about these three days of the Pope lying in state, we are also building towards the funeral that begins on Saturday morning.

That’s when not only Catholics and members of the public, but world leaders and royalty from many countries around the world will arrive.

Among the large crowds hoping to enter St Peter's Basilica today are newlyweds Luis and Macarena from Mexico.

The couple says they had decided to come to Rome for their honeymoon and had hoped to see the Pope, who gives a special blessing to newlyweds. They learned about the Pope's death while in transit.

"It was emotional. We thought, I can't believe we're going to be in Rome when it's happening," Macarena says.

Luis says the blessing from the Pope would have meant a lot to him and his wife, but adds: "It's a very important couple of days just to be here and pray, and to feel everyone praying is more important. I think we received the blessing from above."

He says seeing his final resting place would allow them to feel a connection with the late Pope.

"Pope Francis is a saint and he will bless us from heaven," he says.

Members of the public have been able to enter St Peter's Basilica to pay their respects to Pope Francis for a little over an hour and a half now.

As we've been reporting, people from across the globe have travelled to the Vatican City to do so.

Here are some of the latest images from the queue that has formed which branches outside of the Vatican City itself and into Rome:

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

The Vatican has shared some details of the ceremony on Friday during which Pope Francis' coffin will be closed.

As a reminder, the public will be able to visit Pope Francis as he lies in state until 19:00 local time Friday.

At 20:00 the rite of the closing of the coffin will take place at St Peter's Basilica led by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the "camerlengo" - the man who'll be running the Vatican until a new Pope is elected.

The dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re, will also attend. He'll be leading the funeral service on Saturday and then convene the conclave to select Francis's successor.

This is one of a number of rites which take place during this period.

Earlier this week, we saw Cardinal Farrell locking and sealing the Pope's home with a ribbon and wax.

A ceremony is also held to destroy the Pope's Ring of the Fisherman with a hammer - the ring is used by the Pope to sign and seal official documents.

For more on Cardinal Kevin Farrell, our story has further details.