Crowd claps as funeral of Pope Francis begins at Vatican

Vatican City: Tens of thousands of mourners and world leaders including US President Donald Trump packed St Peter s Square on Saturday for the funeral...

Vatican City: Tens of thousands of mourners and world leaders including US President Donald Trump packed St Peter's Square on Saturday for the funeral of Pope Francis, the champion of the poor and the Catholic Church's first Latin American leader.

Some waited overnight to get a seat for the ceremony, with police reporting some 150,000 people in the square and surrounding streets even before proceedings began at 10am (0900 GMT).

The crowds cheered and applauded as the pope's coffin was brought out of St Peter's Basilica into the square.

Many of the more than 50 heads of state attending the funeral had entered the Basilica beforehand to pay their respects at the coffin of the Argentine pontiff, who died on Monday aged 88.

Guests included Argentina's President Javier Milei and Britain's Prince William as well as Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky -- who met Trump on the sidelines, according to a Ukrainian spokesperson.