VATICAN CITY - The Vatican on Friday said over 128,000 people have already paid their respects to Pope Francis, whose body is lying in state in St Peter's Basilica ahead of his funeral.

Between 11:00 am (0900 GMT) on Wednesday and 8:00 am on Thursday, over 128,000 people had filed past Francis's body, the Vatican said in a statement. His open casket is due to remain on view until 8:00 pm on Friday. — Agence France-Presse