Security has been tightened around St Peter’s Square in the Vatican ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis.Many mourners slept on the streets in order to secure a place during funeral proceedings this morning.

SABC News correspondent John Bevir, “The security is incredibly tight as you would imagine. Police helicopters flying around like last night, there were snipers on roof tops. It is really a very tight security operation as you would think something this size with world leaders making their way to St Peter’s for the funeral.”

Several mourners are attending the Pope’s funeral.

Faithful from Madagascar, Louis Evita Pierre, “For us it is very important to be here. For everyone here, Pope Francis has been a great person for us, for me particularly, yes, he is a great man, he’s there for everyone, he helped a lot of people with his words, with his teaching because he really is a great, great man. I really hope they’ll make him a saint in a year because he is really a great, great man.”

A nun spent the night awake to attend the funeral.

Nun from Franciscan Sisters of St Aloysius Gonzaga, Sister James Mary says, “I was up the whole night, we came here and so we went to see his funeral, we want to say the bye bye because he’s the living saint, very humble and simple. And he liked it, united to all the piece of country and sister model for our older Christians. So, I like him, want to say bye bye.”

--SABC/Reuters--