The funeral of Pope Francis will take place on Saturday morning, the Vatican has announced.
Officials confirmed the service would be held in St Peter’s Square and begin at 9am UK time (10am local time).
It comes after the 88-year-old died on Monday morning, with officials later saying he had suffered a stroke and heart failure.
Following the funeral, a conclave to choose a new pope will begin on 5 May.
The liturgy for the funeral will be presided over by the dean of the college of cardinals, the Most Reverend Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re.
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The body of Pope Francis is placed in an open casket. Pic: Vatican Media/Handout/Reuters
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, left, prays in front of the body of Francis. Pic: Vatican Media/Handout/AP
Pope Francis in 2014. Pic: AP
Following the service, “the coffin of the Roman Pontiff will then be taken to St Peter’s Basilica and from there to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore for burial,” a Vatican spokesperson said.
Earlier on Tuesday, the first images of the Pope lying in state were released, showing the late pontiff in his casket with the Vatican secretary of state praying over him.
The coffin is currently in the chapel of the Santa Marta residence, where he lived during his 12-year papacy.
A Vatican employee told Sky News she saw the Pope’s coffin on Tuesday morning.
She described the atmosphere as “so sadly impressive”, with some of the pontiff’s closest aides around his body in tears.
The Pope’s body will be taken into the adjacent St Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday at 8am UK time, allowing people to pay their respects in the lead-up to the funeral.
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In his final testament, the Pope outlined his request to be buried “in the ground, without particular ornamentation” but with the inscription “Franciscus”.
The pontiff said he wished to be buried in Rome’s Basilica of Saint Mary Major, rather than at St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, where many previous pontiffs have been laid to rest.
