St. Peter's Basilica closed its doors just briefly in the early hours and then opened again to welcome crowds of worshippers from around the world lining up to pay their final respects to Pope Francis.

The basilica was bathed in a hushed silence as mourners from across the globe made a slow, shuffling procession up the main aisle to pay their last respects to Francis.

So many mourners lined up to pay their respects to Pope Francis that the Vatican kept St. Peter's Basilica open all night to accommodate them.