John Swinney joins heads of state from around the world for Pope Francis' funeral at the Vatican

Heads of state from around the world are gathering in the Vatican for Pope Francis’ funeral on Saturday.

The pontiff will be laid to rest following a funeral service in St Peter’s Square, which begins at 10am local time (9am BST).

The outdoor service, which will be led by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the college of cardinals, is expected to be attended by dignitaries from 170 foreign delegations, as well as tens of thousands of ordinary people wanting to pay their respects.

Among those attending are First Minister John Swinney, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, US President Donald Trump, the Prince of Wales on behalf of the King, French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Irish premier Micheal Martin and the nation’s President Michael D Higgins.

Among those attending from Latin America are the Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and Javier Milei – the president of Francis’s native Argentina.

The Mexican president, Claudia Sheinbaum, will not attend but will be represented by the country’s interior minister, Rosa Icela Rodríguez.

Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the president of the Philippines, which has one of the world’s largest Catholic populations, will also be in Rome.

Following Saturday’s open-air funeral in the square, Francis’s remains will be taken through the streets of Rome in another break with tradition, as his body is brought to a simple underground tomb in the basilica of Saint Mary Major, as per his instructions.

The leader of Catholics in England and Wales, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, said organisers of what will be an enormous gathering of well-known names “are geniuses at dealing with these big events”.

In an interview with the PA news agency in Rome, the Archbishop of Westminster said the funeral will be “without a doubt another masterpiece of stage management when you consider those state leaders who have high opinions of their importance”.

He added: “In the past, I’ve seen it here over and over again that the combination of Rome and the Holy See, they actually are geniuses at dealing with these big events.

“I think they’ve been doing it since the emperors ruled Rome – that they know how to deal with big egos.

“And I think every leader of a nation that comes here on Saturday will go home reasonably content.”

Cardinal Nichols has described recent days since the Pope’s death on Easter Monday as “deeply emotional”. He told how “moving” it was to sit in the basilica and watch as others solemnly filed past the coffin this week.

More than 22,000 mourners have viewed the body of the 88-year-old pontiff, who died on Easter Monday.

He has been remembered by some as the “people’s pope”, having spoken out for the poor and those in need and shunned many of the extravagances that come with papal life.

Francis died following a cerebral stroke that led to a coma and irreversible heart failure.

His death came after his five-week hospital stay in Rome’s Gemelli hospital, following a 38-day struggle with pneumonia in March.

The funeral of Pope Francis is available to watch live on STV Player.