The basilica will be kept open until at least midnight on Thursday to allow the faithful to mourn. Francis' funeral will be held Saturday at 10 a.m. (2 a.m. ET) in St. Peter’s Square, after which the Vatican press office is expected to release details of the conclave that will elect the next pontiff.

BBC News correspondent Maryam Moshiri explains why the late Pope Francis won't be buried in the Vatican, breaking a 100-year-old tradition. Instead, on Saturday he will be buried at one of Rome's four major basilicas and one of the oldest in the city - the church of Santa Maria Maggiore.

Since then, tens of thousands of faithful have lined multiple blocks to pay their final respects to Francis, dressed in red vestments with a traditional white bishop's mitre on his head. Public visitation will come to an end Friday,