Funeral to take place on Saturday, the Vatican confirms
The Vatican has just confirmed that Pope Francis’s funeral will be held on Saturday at 10am local time, Reuters reported.
According to a short statement, the funeral liturgy in St Peter’s square will be presided by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals.
Following the liturgy, the coffin will be taken into St Peter’s Basilica, and then to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore for burial, as requested by Francis.
Key events
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni is expected to attend the funeral, with the Italian media reporting that she cancelled her pre-planned engagements in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan this weekend to stay in Rome.
No Putin, but Argentina’s Milei, Brazil’s Lula, and EU’s von der Leyen to attend funeral
Speaking about the guest list for the funeral this Saturday, the Kremlin has just confirmed that Russian president Vladimir Putin will not attend the service.
But we have had more confirmations on top of Trump, Macron and Zelenskyy that I reported on earlier, with Argentinian president Javier Milei, Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen among those saying they plan to attend.
Vatican power struggle: will an ‘anti-Francis’ pope emerge from conclave?
The death of Pope Francis will throw into sharp relief the internecine power struggle that has been a hallmark of his papacy.
In the coming days, a ferocious battle for the future of the church will be played out with the highest of stakes within the sanctity of the Sistine Chapel.
There are more than 250 cardinals in total, but those over the age of 80 are ineligible to take part in the conclave. That leaves 135 eligible cardinals, who will begin making their way to Rome in the coming days.
In the 12 years after Francis became pope, he appointed about 110 of those eligible, casting his net wide across the globe. Some Vatican observers have suggested he stacked the conclave in favour of a successor likely to embrace his outlook and continue his work.
The appointments make it “difficult for an ‘anti-Francis’ pope to emerge”, said Iacopo Scaramuzzi, a Vatican journalist with La Repubblica newspaper and author of the book Tango Vaticano. La Chiesa al Tempo di Francesco (Vatican Tango. The Church in the Time of Francis).
“But it doesn’t mean this group is unanimous and cohesive, or that they have the same ideas. Almost all the cardinals he has chosen are pastors from great dioceses around the world.” There were conservatives as well as progressives among them, Scaramuzzi added.
Full story:
Details of coffin procession on Wednesday
The ceremony of moving the coffin from Santa Marta to St Peter’s Basilica will start 9am local time on Wednesday, a note from the Vatican spelling out the details of the operation said.
After a moment of prayer, the procession will pass through Piazza Santa Marta and Piazza dei Protomartiri Romani, exit into St. Peter’s Square and enter the Basilica through the central door.
After the liturgy in the Basilica, pilgrims from around the world will be allowed to visit to pay their last tributes to Francis.
The prayers and the liturgy will be led by Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, Camerlengo of the church, who announced Francis’s death on Monday.
China’s foreign ministry expressed condolences over the death of Pope Francis, but said it had no information to share on who might attend the funeral, Reuters reported.
China and the Vatican have in recent years maintained constructive contact and carried out beneficial exchanges, ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a regular news briefing in Beijing.
The Vatican also confirmed that Pope Francis’s coffin will be transferred to St Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday morning, where it will stay until the funeral.
It will be taken there from the chapel of the Santa Marta residence, pictured in the earlier photo.
Funeral to take place on Saturday, the Vatican confirms
The Vatican has just confirmed that Pope Francis’s funeral will be held on Saturday at 10am local time, Reuters reported.
According to a short statement, the funeral liturgy in St Peter’s square will be presided by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals.
Following the liturgy, the coffin will be taken into St Peter’s Basilica, and then to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore for burial, as requested by Francis.
Vatican releases images of Francis in open coffin
The Vatican has released first pictures showing Francis in open coffin during the rite of certification of death that took place in the chapel of Casa Santa Marta in Vatican last night.
Vatican News reported that “during the rite, the declaration of death was read aloud. The act was validated by Cardinal Farrell, and the ceremony lasted just under an hour.”
We’re expecting to hear more about when the coffin will be taken for public viewing in Saint Peter’s Basilica at some point today.
How will the next pope be selected?
Harriet Sherwood
The next pope will be chosen by the College of Cardinals, the Catholic church’s most senior figures appointed by the pontiff, who will make their way to Rome in the next few days for the conclave. The name comes from the Latin cum clave, meaning “with key”, indicating the closed process of electing a pope.
There are more than 250 cardinals from more than 90 countries, but only about 135 are cardinal electors (those over the age of 80 are excluded). About 110 of the cardinal electors have been chosen by Francis in the past 10 years and largely reflect his vision of a more inclusive church.
Once the cardinals are assembled in Rome, usually 15-20 days after the pope’s death, they gather under Michelangelo’s magnificent painted ceiling in the Sistine Chapel to begin their deliberations. After the words extra omnes – everyone out – are declared, referring to all but voting cardinals and a handful of officials and doctors, the doors are locked.
The Vatican this morning – in pictures
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy expected to attend funeral
… and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also expected to attend the funeral, presidency source told AFP.
Expect the diplomatic list to grow rapidly in the coming days, with most countries sending their heads of state or government to pay tribute to Francis – creating potential space for high-level meetings on the margins of the funeral.
France’s Macron to attend Francis’s funeral
French president Emmanuel Macron also just confirmed he would attend the funeral, speaking to reporters in Saint-Denis de la Reunion, where he is on a foreign trip.
“We will attend the pope’s funeral as we should,” he said, AFP reported.
US president Trump expected at Francis’s funeral
US president Donald Trump said overnight that he was planning to travel to Vatican for the funeral of Pope Francis, expected later this week.
In a post on Truth Social, he said:
Melania and I will be going to the funeral of Pope Francis, in Rome. We look forward to being there!
Front pages from around Europe and beyond
Let’s start the day by bringing you front pages from around Europe and beyond as newspapers reported on the death of Pope Francis – including in Italy and his native Argentina.
Morning opening: Sede vacante
Jakub Krupa
Following the death of Pope Francis at 88 yesterday, the papacy is currently vacant, or as they call it in Vatican, we’re in the sede vacante period.
But first decisions are set to be made today about the process that will first pay tribute to Francis’s life of service, and ultimately lead to the election of his successor.
While the 88-year-old left clear instructions on where he would want to be buried – in St. Mary Major basilica outside the Vatican – the critical timeline of what happens when is to be decided by the cardinals.
The Congregation of Cardinals is expected to make first calls today, including on when his body would lie in state, and when the funeral would take place, kicking off a complex diplomatic operation which will see scores of global leaders descend on Rome and Vatican.
The clock is also starting for the conclave which will ultimately elect the new pope, which must begin 15-20 days after the death of the previous head of the Catholic church. Expect to hear more about papabili, those expected to be in the running to succeed Francis.
I will bring you all the key updates throughout the day.
It’s Tuesday, 22 April 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
