A homeless man has been buried in the exclusive Teutonic Cemetery within the Vatican after no one claimed his body.

Willy, a Belgian who lived on the streets around St Peter's until his death in December, was well known to many priests, some of whom used to bring him food, Vatican radio has reported.

He died in hospital after being found unconscious. His burial in a cemetery normally reserved for senior German clerics was funded by a donation from a German family.

It had been rumoured that the Pope Francis had helped to arrange the burial that took place last month.

But Rev Ciro Benedettini told Italian newspaper Il Messaggero it was not the Pope's decision, but a Judge in Rome who had made friends with Willy.

The move is however being seen as the latest sign of how Pope Francis' concern for the vulnerable is changing the way the Church does things.

Francis has made a focus on the rights, welfare and dignity of the poor one of the central themes of his papacy.

Earlier this month, showers for the homeless were installed in public toilets just yards from St Peter's Square, at his request.

To mark his birthday in December, Francis ordered the distribution of dozens of sleeping bags to homeless people across Rome, and parishes in the Italian capital have been asked to follow suit with similar initiatives.

Benedettini quoted the homeless man Willy as saying that receiving Communion was his medicine.

He added that the Vatican often helped homeless people but that Willy would soon get tired of living indoors and would return to the streets.