Mourners visit Pope Francis lying in state at St Peter’s Basilica

Tens of thousands of mourners have lined up for a chance to pay their respects to Pope Francis, whose body has been displayed in an open coffin in St Peter’s Basilica.

On Wednesday morning, as many as 20,000 people gathered to witness red-robed cardinals and white-clad priests escort the coffin from the Pope’s personal residence.

Bells tolled during the 40-minute procession, while the crowd broke into applause – a traditional Italian sign of respect.

Nine days of mourning will be observed in the Vatican. The Argentine pontiff’s funeral will be held on Saturday.

The 88-year-old died on Monday after suffering a stroke. He had spent five weeks in hospital earlier this year with double pneumonia.

Francis was the first Latin American leader of the Catholic Church and held the role for 12 years.

His body will lie in state in the church until Friday evening. Public viewing began at 11:00 local time (10:00 BST) on Wednesday.

Police in the Vatican have told the BBC that St Peter’s Basilica will stay open all night so that a large crowd gathered on the square has 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.

Swiss Guards, who are responsible for the Pope’s safety, escorted his coffin to the church’s altar.

Soon after the event began, the queue was already eight hours long, according to Italian media. By mid-afternoon, tens of thousands of people were lining the square.

Luis and Macarena, from Mexico, had come to Rome for their honeymoon and hoped to see the Pope, who gives a special blessing to newlyweds. Luis told the BBC seeing the Pope’s final resting place would allow them to feel a connection.

“Pope Francis is a saint and he will bless us from heaven,” Luis said.

Mary Ellen, an American who lives in Italy, said she had come to the Vatican on an overnight train to “say goodbye”.

“I love Papa Francesco,” she said. “Because he’s humble, kind, he loves immigrants. I know he’s put up with a lot of difficult things in the Vatican. He’s fought against power and the power of the Vatican to be a true Christian, true Catholic.”

She said when she passes the coffin, she will be praying and will ask Pope Francis for help with her own work with immigrants.

Inside St Peter’s, under the watchful marble eye of popes and saints, a steady stream of people made their way to the Pope’s casket to pay their respects.

Some kneeled while others prayed and crossed themselves, before slowly moving on.

Many lingered to admire the staggering beauty of the basilica. The atmosphere was quiet and solemn despite the thousands of people present.

Two women who waited for five hours to see the Pope said they had arrived at the basilica’s queue at 09:00.

One told the BBC it was important to her to say goodbye to the pontiff.

“All these years I followed all he did and it’s as if I travelled all over the world with him, even if I was just at home. He liked going everywhere and prioritises the poor,” she said.

Asked what was it like to see him in his coffin, she replied: “It’s just like the man we used to see on TV.”

Fredrik, who is from Ghana but travelled from Poland, said the Pope had “done his best” and “it is left to us to continue the good works”.

Eva Asensio, a Mexican on holiday in Italy, said she felt an affinity for the Argentine pope.

“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,” she said with tears in her eyes.

Margaux, who is French and lives in Rome, said it was “powerful to live this.”

To her, Pope Francis meant “hope”, and his more progressive social views were “very important”, she said.

“I hope the next Pope will follow his path,” she said.

Dignitaries from all over the world, including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Prince William, will attend the funeral on Saturday.

Pope Francis left clear instructions that he wanted a smaller ceremony in keeping with his simpler tastes as pontiff. He had arranged for a benefactor to pay for it all.

Unlike the vast majority of his predecessors, he will not be buried in St Peter’s, but in a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary in central Rome, beneath a tombstone inscribed only with his name.

Before being moved to St Peter’s, Pope Francis had been lying in an open coffin in the chapel of his home, flanked by Swiss Guards and cardinals in prayer.

His last public appearance was on Easter Sunday, during which he delivered brief remarks to the masses gathered in St Peter’s Square from a wheelchair.

He then greeted worshippers and blessed babies as he was driven in a car through the crowds.

His Papal apartments have been sealed, marking the start of the period known as the Sede Vacante – or empty seat – which continues until a new head of the church is elected.

Additional reporting by Jorge Perez