News Daily

Good afternoon. The funeral mass of Pope Francis has taken place, with world leaders and tens of thousands of mourners gathering at the Vatican - and hundreds of millions more watching around the world. In this special edition of News Daily, we'll bring you the details from the ceremony, as well as examine Francis' life and legacy.

The funeral of Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday aged 88, is underway in the Vatican today. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, who led the service, said Pope Francis "touched minds and hearts" and wanted to "build bridges, not walls". Following the 2½-hour service, mostly held in Latin, Pope Francis' coffin was transferred - via an adapted 'Popemobile' - to the Basilica of St Mary Major, a church lying outside the Vatican's walls in Rome. He'll be the first pope to be buried there since the 1600s, and the first in over 100 years to be buried outside the Vatican. It's not the only tradition he's modernised. Previous popes would have three coffins, but last year, Pope Francis simplified the rules for a papal funeral, to use only a wooden coffin lined in zinc.

Hundreds of world leaders and dignitaries are on the guestlist, including US President Donald Trump, his predecessor Joe Biden, Italy's Giorgia Meloni, and French President Emmanuel Macron. From the UK, PM Keir Starmer and Prince William are also in attendance. Trump and Ukraine's President Zelensky met inside St Peter's Basilica before the funeral, with the White House calling the meeting "very productive".

In the coming days, the process of finding a successor to Francis will begin. Some 135 cardinals from across the globe are eligible to select the 267th pontiff. They'll be cut off from the outside world for the duration of the secret conclave, which will culminate in white smoke billowing from the Sistine Chapel. Read our explainer on how it works.