Pope Francis funeral latest: Pontiff’s body arrives at St Peter’s Basilica with public viewings set to begin

Pope Francis will be laid to rest in a location that reflects his humble approach to the grand office.

Breaking with tradition, the pontiff has chosen a burial site outside the Vatican – the first pope to do so in 120 years.

Justin Welby has spoken about his relationship with the late Pope Francis, and the support he provided over the years.

“He was supremely relational – regardless of status – and he lived out his call for the shepherd to be close to the sheep.

“He saw those who sought, however poorly and fallibly, to follow Christ as brothers and sisters. Whether they were in prisons or palaces, slums or stadiums, made no difference.”

A choir is singing to mark the end of the process, as Cardinal Camerlengo Kevin Farrell has finished the Liturgy of the Word.

Sections of the bible were also read, with occasional responses from the congregation, and the Lord’s Prayer sung in Latin.

Cardinal Kevin Farrell has sprinkled the late Pope’s body with holy water and purified it with incense.

The tradition references the birth of Christ where one of the three wise men gifted incense.

The cardinal will next read from the gospel.

The transference of Pope Francis’s coffin to St Peter’s is almost over.

The Liturgy of the Word, made of bible readings, is the next part of the Catholic mass.

The public will be able to view the Pope in just over an hour.

The procession carrying Pope Francis’s coffin has just entered St Peter’s Basilica.

Each saint will now be called by song to pray for Pope Francis.