Thousands of Catholics pay respects to former pope Benedict XVI

Queues build at St Peter’s Basilica at Vatican for lying in state of former pontiff before funeral on Thursday

Thousands of Catholics have begun queuing at the Vatican to pay their respects to the former pope Benedict XVI, with some hoping he would be canonised as a saint.

Benedict died on Saturday, aged 95, and his body was transferred from a Vatican monastery to St Peter’s Basilica on Monday at 7am, where it will lie in state for three days before his funeral on Thursday.