The body of Pope Francis is being moved to St Peter’s Basilica, where tens of thousands of mourners will queue to file past his open casket over the three days. Watch the procession live in the stream below.
Wednesday 23 April 2025 07:59, UK
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The body of Pope Francis is being moved to St Peter’s Basilica for three days of public mourning – and you can watch the procession live in the stream at the top of the page.
His casket will be moved at 8am from the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta to the basilica.
Queues have formed outside, with public viewings of the pontiff’s coffin to be allowed from 10am UK time.
The Swiss guards are preparing to transfer Pope Francis’s coffin from Casa Santa Marta to St Peter’s Basilica in the next few minutes.
Here’s the view inside the Casa Santa Marta…
Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the camerlengo, will lead a prayer before Pope Francis’s body is moved.
A large congregation is seated outside in St Peter’s Square to observe the procession…
A reminder you can watch events live in the stream at the top of the page.
Our correspondent Lisa Holland has been speaking to mourners in St Peter’s Square this morning – with public viewings of the Pope’s coffin to begin at around 10am UK time.
One of those gathered is John from Stockport, who is lining up to pay his respects.
He says he came to “say thank you” to a great pope.
Watch his interview here:
Here’s what to expect as the body of Pope Francis is moved to St Peter’s Basilica this morning:
Given his heavy involvement in this morning’s service, you can read our profile on Cardinal Kevin Farrell – now the interim head of the Catholic Church – below.
Queues are beginning to form outside St Peter’s Basilica, where Pope Francis will lie in state for the next three days.
Tens of thousands of mourners are expected to queue to file past the Pope’s open casket.
As Catholics around the world continue to mourn the death of Pope Francis, the process to elect a new pope will begin soon.
But what direction will the new pontiff take? Will the cardinals pick a reformer or go with a traditionalist? And how will the church deal with waning congregations in the global north in comparison with the growing numbers in the south?
On the latest episode of the Sky News Daily podcast, Niall Paterson speaks to Freddy Gray, editor of the US Spectator and former deputy editor of the Catholic Herald, about the tensions in the Catholic Church and how they will be resolved.
Listen below and follow the Daily wherever you enjoy your podcasts.
By Michael Drummond, foreign news reporter
With the death of Pope Francis, cardinals from around the world will soon gather in the Vatican to choose a new pontiff. Francis, of course, hailed from Argentina – but could the next pope be British?
It’s been 866 years since the papacy of Britain’s only ever pontiff (Pope Adrian IV) ended in 1159, and the history of the Catholic Church in the UK since then has been turbulent, with King Henry VIII perhaps the main culprit.
There are currently four British cardinals, three of whom are young enough to vote in the conclave.
And while none of them are considered odds-on favourites for the top job, it’s true that surprises do happen behind the shuttered doors of the secretive congregation of cardinals.
So who are the British cardinals, and could one of them be the next pope?
Find out here.
Members of the clergy and Vatican officials are preparing for the translation of Pope Francis’s coffin, which will shortly be moved to St Peter’s Basilica (which you can see in the first image).
Queues are already forming outside the basilica, with public viewings of the pontiff’s coffin to be allowed there from 10am UK time.
The coffin will be moved at around 8am via procession.
These images show mourners around the world gathering to remember the life of Pope Francis.
Pope Francis’s body will be moved shortly.
The process, known as translation, will see him moved from the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta to St Peter’s Basilica.
It’ll be moved that short distance in procession, which we’re expecting to begin at around 8am UK time.
Up to now, Pope Francis has been lying in state in the Casa Santa Marta, available for private viewing only for Vatican residents and the papal household.
But from around 10am, the wider public will be able to queue and view the Pope’s body in the Basilica.
His body will remain there until burial.
“The Basilica will remain open to the faithful who wish to visit the body of the Pontiff at the following times: Wednesday 23 April: 11:00-24:00 (local) Thursday 24 April: 7:00-24:00 (local) Friday 25 April: 7:00-19:00 (local),” the Vatican said in a statement yesterday.
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