The Archbishop of Dublin has said that Pope Francis’s plea for forgiveness in 2018 for abuse scandals in the Catholic Church was an example of the “great mark of the man”.

The leader of the Catholic Church in Ireland Archbishop Eamon Martin opened a book of condolences to the late pontiff.

The public will be able to pay their respects at a viewing in St Peter’s Basilica and a funeral mass will take place before a new pope is elected.