On Saturday, April 26, the funeral service for Pope Francis will be held at St. Peter’s in Rome as world leaders gather. Live coverage will begin at 3:00 am ET with the services expected to begin at 4:00 am.
Following the funeral, Francis’ body will be entombed at the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major.
The Vatican confirmed Monday that Pope Francis has died at the age of 88 in his residence at Casa Santa Marta, ending a controversial decade-long papacy marked by globalist overtures, divisive political stances, and growing health concerns.
Pope Francis’ death certificate, released by the Vatican, states that he passed away in his residence at 7:35 a.m. due to a cerebral stroke, followed by coma and irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse.
The document also notes several underlying health conditions, including a recent episode of acute respiratory failure caused by bilateral multimicrobial pneumonia, multiple bronchiectasis, arterial hypertension, and type II diabetes.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania arrived in on Friday to attend the funeral.
.@POTUS and @FLOTUS arrive in Rome ahead of tomorrow’s funeral for Pope Francis pic.twitter.com/59On2HN3GE
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 25, 2025
Additional foreign dignitaries confirmed to attend include the UK’s Prince William, Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and French President Emmanuel Macron. Additional dignitaries are expected.
Watch live beginning at 3:00 am ET:
Following a period of mourning, cardinals will gather for the papal conclave, expected to begin between May 6 and May 12, 2025, vote in secret sessions to elect the next pope.
The ballots will be burned in a special stove after each session with black smoke indicating no pope has been elected as none have reached the least two-thirds of the vote required.
When white smoke emerges, it signals that the cardinals have chosen the next head of the Catholic Church.
While many Catholics hope that the far left Francis will be replaced with a more traditional, conservative pope, of the 135 cardinal electors eligible to vote, 109 were appointed by Francis himself, comprising approximately 80% of the electorate.
This significant majority suggests that the next pope is likely to continue or even intensify Francis’s left-wing trajectory.