World leaders, mourners honour Pope Francis in grand farewell at St Peter’s

Around 200,000 people attended the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday, the Vatican said.

Italian police had earlier put the number at around 150,000, with roughly 50,000 people filling St Peter's Square.

Some people waited overnight to be first in the queue for the ceremony, attended by world leaders including US President Donald Trump and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy -- who may meet on the sidelines, a senior official told AFP.

The Argentine pontiff died on Monday at the age of 88, after his 12-year papacy.

Some 250,000 people paid their respects before his coffin during its three days of lying in state at St Peter's Basilica, and huge numbers gathered from dawn on Friday to attend his final send-off.

"He was not just the pope, he was what the definition of being human is," said Andrea Ugalde, 39, who flew from Los Angeles to attend Saturday's mass.

The ceremony has begun at 10:00 am (0800 GMT) and is drawing some 200,000 people.

Italian and Vatican authorities have mounted a major security operation for the ceremony, with more than 50 heads of state on the guest list.

A no-fly zone is in place, fighter jets are on standby and snipers will be positioned on roofs surrounding the tiny city state.

"We spent the whole night here in the car with the children," said Peruvian Gabriela Lazo, 41.

"We are very sorry for what happened to him because we hold a South American pope in our hearts."

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.

After the mourning, cardinals will gather for the conclave to elect a new pope to lead the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.