Pope Francis was buried in Santa Maria Maggiore basilica - his favourite Rome church, the Vatican said.

"Pope Francis used to conclude his speeches and personal encounters by saying, 'Do not forget to pray for me.' Now, dear Pope Francis, we ask you to pray for us. May you bless the Church, bless Rome, and we ask you to bless the whole world from heaven as you did last Sunday from the balcony of this Basilica in a final embrace with all the people of God, but also with the whole of humanity, with that humanity that seeks the truth with a sincere heart and holds high the torch of hope." - Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re said in his funeral homily that Pope Francis urged "reason and honest negotiation" in efforts to end conflicts raging around the world. "Faced with the raging wars of recent years, with their inhuman horrors and countless deaths and destruction, Pope Francis incessantly raised his voice imploring peace and calling for reason and honest negotiation to find possible solutions," he said.

Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re said in his funeral homily that Pope Francis believed the Church "is a home for all". He was driven by "the conviction that the Church is a home for all, a home with its doors always open... a Church capable of bending down to every person, regardless of their beliefs or condition, and healing their wounds", said the Cardinal.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re said in his funeral homily that Pope Francis was "a pope among the people, with an open heart", who strove for a more compassionate Catholic Church. "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 was a pope among the people, with an open heart towards everyone," he said.

Pope Francis' pallium, coins minted during his pontificate, and a deed summarising the main events of his papacy were placed inside the coffin before it was sealed.

Pope Francis, who was the first pontiff from Latin America and the first from the Jesuit order, had requested simpler funeral rites. In keeping with his wishes, his body was placed in a single wooden coffin, foregoing the traditional triple-layered coffins of cypress, lead, and oak that had been used in previous papal funerals.

The grand funeral of Pope Francis, the Catholic Church's first Latin American leader, began on Saturday morning in the presence of world leaders and tens of thousands of mourners. After waiting in sombre silence, the crowd in St Peter's Square began clapping as the pontiff's coffin was brought out in solemn procession.

US President Donald Trump and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen shake hands at pope funeral: news agency AFP

Pope Francis' coffin has been brought to St Peter's Square.

Pope Francis' funeral mass begins. It is being presided over by Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals.

Pope Francis's wooden and zinc coffin, sealed on Friday evening, will be placed in front of the basilica before a temporary raised altar. To its left, facing St Peter's, will sit the red-robed cardinals. To the right, official delegations from around the world, seated in alphabetical order.

The ceremony should last about 90 minutes, with 224 cardinals and 750 priests and bishops in attendance.

The Israeli government's response to the death of Pope Francis has been marked by controversy. Despite the passing of a global spiritual leader, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office took four days to offer condolences, and even then, it was a brief and impersonal statement.

The office eventually released a two-sentence statement on Thursday night, which read: "The State of Israel expresses its deepest condolences to the Catholic Church and the Catholic community worldwide at the passing of Pope Francis. May he rest in peace."

This subdued response stands in stark contrast to the outpouring of tributes and condolences from around the world. Moreover, an earlier message posted on X by the official state account of Israel was deleted without explanation.

Pope Francis, champion of the poor and the Church's first Latin American leader, is being honoured today with a funeral attended by world leaders and tens of thousands of Catholic faithful.

The Argentine pontiff, who died on Monday aged 88, sought to create a more open-minded Church during his 12-year papacy, and many emotional tributes have been made -- with 250,000 people paying respects at his coffin in St Peter's Basilica.

Many of Francis's reforms angered traditionalists, while his criticism of injustices, from the treatment of migrants to the damage wrought by global warming, riled many world leaders.

Yet the former archbishop of Buenos Aires's compassion and charisma earned him global affection and respect.

US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump paid tributes to Pope Francis ahead of funeral.

PM Modi, ahead of Pope Francis' funeral said that the world will "always remember his service to society".

"Rashtrapati Ji pays homage to His Holiness, Pope Francis on behalf of the people of India. The world will always remember his service to society," he wrote in a post on X.

Asia

India: President Droupadi Murmu

Philippines: President Ferdinand Marcos and First Lady Liza Marcos

Americas

USA: President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump

Argentina: President Javier Milei

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

United Nations: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres

Europe

France: President Emmanuel Macron

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

Hungary: President Tamas Sulyok and Prime Minister Viktor Orban

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

Thousands gather at St Peter's Square in the Vatican ahead of Pope Francis funeral.

Pope Francis, 88, the head of the worldwide Catholic Church, will be laid to rest on Saturday (Apr 26) in Rome. The Argentine pontiff died from a stroke on Monday (Apr 21), less than a month after returning home from five weeks in hospital battling double pneumonia.

US President Donald Trump arrived in Rome on Friday for the funeral of Pope Francis, where he will brush shoulders with an array of world leaders on the unexpected first foreign trip of his second term.

Trump, who was accompanied by wife Melania, had a distant relationship with the late pontiff who criticized him sharply on his signature policy of mass deportations of migrants. But Trump will be centre-stage for a major diplomatic gathering on Saturday with some 50 heads of state, including 10 reigning monarchs, at the Vatican.

President Droupadi Murmu on Friday paid homage to Pope Francis at the Basilica of St Peter in Vatican City.

"President Droupadi Murmu paid homage to His Holiness Pope Francis at Basilica of St Peter in Vatican City," her office said in a post on X.

President Murmu is accompanied by Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State for Minority Affairs and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, George Kurian, and Deputy Speaker of Goa Legislative Assembly, Joshua De Souza.

"On April 26, the President will attend the funeral Mass of His Holiness Pope Francis at St Peter's Square in Vatican City, which will be attended by dignitaries from around the world," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had said in a statement.

The official programme of the ceremonies for Pope Francis:

9:00 am IST

St Peter's Square opens.

1:00 pm IST

US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania arrive in St Peter's Square.

1:30 pm IST

The funeral mass begins. It will be presided over by Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals.

Pope Francis's wooden and zinc coffin, sealed on Friday evening, will be placed in front of the basilica before a temporary raised altar. To its left, facing St Peter's, will sit the red-robed cardinals. To the right, official delegations from around the world, seated in alphabetical order.

The ceremony should last about 90 minutes, with 224 cardinals and 750 priests and bishops in attendance.

3:00 pm IST

The coffin leaves for Santa Maria Maggiore, the Rome basilica where Pope Francis will be buried.

4:30 pm IST

The coffin arrives at Santa Maria Maggiore, where it will be welcomed by a group of the "poor and needy".

The burial, presided over by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who as camerlengo is running the Vatican's day-to-day affairs until a new pope is elected, will take place in private.

The funeral of Pope Francis will begin today at 1:30 pm (IST) in the majestic Baroque plaza in front of St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. He will be buried at the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica in Rome. Many world leaders, including President Droupadi Murmu and US President Donald Trump, will attend the ceremony to honour the Catholic leader.

The funeral is expected to draw up to 200,000 people, with the Italian and Vatican authorities mounting a major security operation. The funeral sets off the first of nine days of official Vatican mourning for Francis, who took over following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI in 2013.