Hundreds of Christian clergymen, worshippers and pilgrims are marking Good Friday at Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where Christian tradition says Jesus was crucified and resurrected.

Brown-robed Roman Catholic friars filed into the ancient church after its doors were unlocked this morning. Pilgrims knelt to kiss a stone believed to mark the spot where Jesus' body was placed after he was crucified.

Processions following Jesus' footsteps through the alleys of Jerusalem's Old City are planned for later in the day.

Good Friday marks Christ's crucifixion and death and is followed by the celebration of his resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Orthodox Christians follow a different calendar and mark Good Friday on 17 April.