Will Grant
Reporting from Mexico City

Image source, BBC / Will Grant

At the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the main religious centre in Mexico City, the faithful arrive in droves to attend a Mass for the Pontiff and to hear the bells ring out in his name, an act being repeated in churches across Mexico.

Some arrive on their knees, dragging their bodies to the church door in a show of contrition and suffering among the most devout at the Basilica.

Others simply stand with their heads bowed in quiet remembrance of a man who had stood with Mexico’s poorest, including its migrants and victims of violence, on numerous occasions.

“He led us by the hand, and he will always be in our hearts,” says Jonathan Solis, speaking in hushed tones at the back of the church.

He's brought his daughter with him to pay their respects as a family, he says, and underlines that it is a source of great pride to have a Latin American Pope.

“He was so important to Latinos. We can never forget him. That’s why so many families have turned out, like him – with their hearts on their sleeves – to support each other through this difficult moment.”

Helen Bushby
Culture reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Pope Francis inspired several films, the most prominent of which was 2019’s The Two Popes, which explores his friendship with Pope Benedict around the time the papacy was transferred. It was nominated for three Oscars, five Baftas and four Golden Globes, including nods for its stars Sir Jonathan Price and Sir Anthony Hopkins.

Price, who played Pope Francis, told the BBC that although it wasn't known if the Pope had seen the film, he believed it had received a "seal of approval" from the Church.

Other films made about him include Wim Wenders documentary Pope Francis: A Man of His Word, which explored his ideas; In Viaggio: The Travels of Pope Francis, which looked at his visits to more than 50 countries; and YouTube documentary The Letter about Laudator Si, which he wrote in 2015 urging us to care for “our common home” the Earth.

And while last year’s Bafta-winning film Conclave, starring Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci, wasn't about Pope Francis, its critical acclaim highlights just how much interest there is in the papacy's inner workings.

Tom Singleton
Technology reporter

Image source, PA Media

The London-born Italian boy Carlo Acutis - who was due to be proclaimed a saint this weekend - was notable for two reasons.

The first was his age. Born in 1991, he is the first millennial - that is a person born in the early 1980s to late 1990s - to be approved for canonisation.

The other was his proficiency at spreading the teachings of the Catholic church online, which earned him the nicknames "God's influencer" and the "patron saint of the internet."

Carlo Acutis was 15 when he died of leukaemia in Monza, in Italy, in 2006.

Pope Francis cleared the way for him to be made a saint in May last year, after attributing a second miracle to him.

The ceremony confirming his canonisaton was due to take place in St Peter's Square on Sunday, but the Vatican says following Pope Francis' death that has now been delayed.

Four scheduled matches in the top flight of Italian football have been postponed following the death of Pope Francis.

The Serie A games - Torino v Udinese, Cagliari v Fiorentina, Genoa v Lazio and Parma v Juventus - had been scheduled for Easter Monday, which is a national holiday in Italy.

The governing body which oversees the league says the fixtures will be rearranged in due course.

A number of Serie A clubs posted tributes to the Pope following his death.

"A loss that deeply saddens our city and the entire world," a Roma statement reads.

Image source, Getty Images

As we've been reporting, a rosary prayer was held earlier in St Peter's Square this evening to mark Pope Francis's death.

The BBC's Laura Gozzi was in Rome as crowds gathered to pay their respects to the late pontiff:

In the last few moments, US President Donald Trump has confirmed he will be attending Pope Francis's funeral.

"Melania and I will be going to the funeral of Pope Francis, in Rome. We look forward to being there!" he posts on his Truth Social platform.

It will be Trump's first international trip of his second presidential term.

Earlier, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said there were no plans as yet for Trump to travel to the Vatican for a memorial service.

Veronica Smink
Reporting from Buenos Aires

One of the questions many of Pope Francis’s countrymen and women are asking today is why the first Argentinian to head the Catholic Church never visited his home country over his 12 years as pontiff.

It’s a question that has a caused a lot of disappointment throughout the years. Especially as Francis visited four of the five countries that border Argentina.

The answer seems to be that Francis got caught up in a longstanding rift in Argentina between those who support Peronism - a progressive political movement which stands for the workers - and conservative anti-Peronism, a division which has split the country for decades.

Those on the right accused Francis of being a Peronist, something he denied. He did, however, fight for social justice, something in common with Peronism.

A close friend of the Pope told me he didn’t want a visit of his to be a cause of division.

He also said the Pope did always intend to visit Argentina at some point, perhaps as a final stage of his papacy. Something that, unfortunately, he wasn’t able to do.

Ione Wells
South America correspondent

Image source, Reuters

Pope Francis was a source of immense pride for Argentina, where the majority of the population identify as Catholic.

His focus on helping the poor and tackling inequality resonated in his country, which has faced years of economic turmoil.

Francis also provided a strong and progressive voice for the Catholic Church in Latin America, when evangelical Protestantism was rising in the region.

Supporters saw him as a strong voice for the southern hemisphere – drawing attention to issues such as global inequality and climate change after centuries of European leadership of the Catholic Church.

Critics here felt he failed to do enough to oppose the country’s brutal military dictatorship in the 1970s and 1980s and to criticise the complicity of some figures in the Church.

President Javier Milei, a staunch libertarian who has introduced sweeping austerity measures, said that “despite differences that seem minor today” it was a “true honour” to have known him.

In the past, Milei derided the pontiff as a “socialist” and called him insults including the “devil’s representative on earth”. But, since taking office he softened his tone towards Pope Francis and their relations improved.

Image source, Getty Images

"Thank you for making the world a better place," Inter Miami and Argentina forward Lionel Messi writes in tribute to Pope Francis on Instagram.

"RIP Pope Francis," Messi writes alongside the above picture of the two of them together, "we will miss you."

Pope Francis was a keen football fan, and met Messi in 2013 when he hosted a private audience with the Italian and Argentinian national football teams at the Vatican.

Image source, Getty Images

A pope known for defying expectations in life, Francis will continue with this trend in death - becoming the first pontiff to be buried away from the Vatican in more than a century.

Instead of the Vatican grottoes underneath St Peter's Basilica, the late pontiff will be laid to rest in Rome's Basilica of St Mary Major. He'll be the first Pope to be buried there since 1669.

The Unesco World Heritage site is one of the Italian capital's four major papal basilicas, and has played a key role in Pope Francis's history since he was elected in 2013.

Less than 24 hours after he became pope, Francis visited the basilica to pray in front of one of the Catholic world's most important icons of the Virgin Mary, the Salus Populi Romani - meaning Salvation of the Roman people.

He would regularly travel to St Mary Major ahead of every visit outside of Rome and upon his return to the Vatican.

Francis also returned to the basilica immediately after he was discharged following a 38-day hospital stay. His last visit was on 12 April.

Image source, Getty Images

With tonight's service in the Vatican now over, let's take a look and what is expected to take place in the next few days and weeks.

Next few days: Mourners will be invited to pay their respects while the late pontiff's body remains inside his coffin in St Peter’s Basilica, with the lid removed. His funeral is expected to be held in 4-6 days time.

Next few weeks: Pope Francis's death has set in motion the conclave, the secret meeting where cardinals elect a new Pope. Some 135 Catholic cardinals will vote for his successor in an election held in secret inside the Sistine Chapel.

• You can read more about how the next Pope is chosen in our news story

As we've been reporting, the service in St Peter's Square isn't the only one that has been taking place today.

From Westminster to Warsaw, Mexico City to Kyiv, thousands have gathered to pay their respects.

Image source, EPA

Image source, Reuters

Image source, PA Media

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

As one rosary service ends in the Vatican, another is being held a short distance away in Rome's Basilica of Saint Mary Major.

This is where the Pope will eventually be buried, according to his wishes.

Laura Gozzi
Reporting from St Peter's Square

As dusk falls and tonight's prayer service finishes, it is getting much busier around St Peter's Square. The Basilica is all lit up and there are, of course, seagulls swooping around.

More people seem to be flocking here too - some of these could be Romans returning after the long Easter break, and wanting to see the Vatican on its first night without Pope Francis.

Many languages are being spoken around me as the area really starts to fill up.

But for those who are looking to travel to the area, they should pay attention as to what may be closed off. Soon they will be starting to prepare for the Pope's lying in state.

Image source, Reuters

While we were bringing you that breaking news, the rosary service held in St Peter's Square ended.

After prayers and songs, parts of the crowd began to disperse, but others remain in the area as the sun starts to set.

We can now bring you the full final testament from Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday aged 88.

"As I sense the approaching twilight of my earthly life, and with firm hope in eternal life, I wish to set out my final wishes solely regarding the place of my burial.

"Throughout my life, and during my ministry as a priest and bishop, I have always entrusted myself to the Mother of Our Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary. For this reason, I ask that my mortal remains rest - awaiting the day of the Resurrection - in the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major.

"I wish my final earthly journey to end precisely in this ancient Marian sanctuary, where I would always stop to pray at the beginning and end of every Apostolic Journey, confidently entrusting my intentions to the Immaculate Mother, and giving thanks for her gentle and maternal care.

"I ask that my tomb be prepared in the burial niche in the side aisle between the Pauline Chapel (Chapel of the Salus Populi Romani) and the Sforza Chapel of the Basilica, as shown in the attached plan.

"The tomb should be in the ground; simple, without particular ornamentation, bearing only the inscription: Franciscus.

"The cost of preparing the burial will be covered by a sum provided by a benefactor, which I have arranged to be transferred to the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major. I have given the necessary instructions regarding this to Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, Extraordinary Commissioner of the Liberian Basilica.

"May the Lord grant a fitting reward to all those who have loved me and who continue to pray for me. The suffering that has marked the final part of my life, I offer to the Lord, for peace in the world and for fraternity among peoples."

Pope Francis confirmed in his final testament - released by the Vatican just now - that he wished to be buried in Rome's Basilica of Saint Mary Major and "without particular decoration".

Many previous pontiffs have been buried at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.

He also requested that his resting place bear the inscription of his papal name in Latin: Franciscus.

Pope Francis died of a stroke and subsequent irreversible heart failure, the Vatican says in a statement.

We'll bring you more on this shortly.

Laura Gozzi
Reporting from the Vatican

Image source, Reuters

There are quite a lot of people here now - at least several hundred, with more flocking in from the rest of the city.

The sun is shining, and it's very calm here in St Peter's Square, with lots of people standing around and looking at the big screen.

There's a large media presence, with a number of police officers and medics in the square.