With royals, presidents and hundreds of thousands of Catholic faithful heading to Rome following Pope Francis's death, Italy and the Vatican are rolling out a massive security plan.

Francis's funeral will take place on Saturday and cardinals have already begun arriving from around the world for both the ceremony and the conclave -- the secret voting process to elect a new pope.

The Argentine's body is meanwhile lying in state in St Peter's Basilica, drawing tens of thousands of mourners.

"We've been on alert since Monday," when the 88-year-old Francis died, said a member of the Swiss Guard, the army responsible for the pope's security, famed for their colourful striped uniforms.

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