Roman Catholic faithful began visiting the tomb of Pope Francis on Sunday, filing past the simple white tomb in St. Mary Major

Thousands of faithful gathered since from early hours of Sunday at Rome's Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major to pray and pay their respects to Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday. The flow of faithful has continued uninterrupted since 7 am when the basilica opened its doors,

Hundreds of people filed past the tomb of Pope Francis from early on Sunday morning in the Roman basilica where he chose to be buried in a break from tradition. No pope had been laid to rest outside the Vatican in more than a century,