Mourners began filing past the open coffin of the late Pope Francis inside St. Peter's Basilica on Wednesday as a three-day period of lying in state got underway in the Vatican.

Dignitaries and world leaders will attend the pope’s funeral in a few days. But the thousands of people lining up to see Francis on Wednesday were a more diverse mix.

The body of Pope Francis was carried in a solemn procession Wednesday from his residence within the walls of the Vatican City to St. Peter's Basilica.