Royals, dignitaries and world leaders will join hundreds of thousands of mourners in the Vatican for the funeral of Pope Francis. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived in Rome despite rumours he would not attend the service. Follow the latest below.
Saturday 26 April 2025 07:35, UK
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Live reporting by Ollie CooperandBhvishya Patel
By Adam Parsons, Europe correspondent, in St Peter’s Square
We arrived early in St Peter’s Square, before the sun had come up, and were here when the doors were opened to the public.
At that point, you saw a rush of people – some walking calmly, others sprinting as fast as they could.
Watch: Thousands gather for Pope’s funeral
We saw a group of nuns, all jogging to try to get a prime spot, a line of children, all holding hands in a long line, and two young priests, running as fast as they could while an older colleague strolled behind them.
The area around us filled up quickly.
And what’s notable is the sheer number of young people – the Pope may have been 88, but as I look out around, almost everyone sitting around me is either a teenager or a young adult.
There are big screens that will show the service.
The police helicopter is above, and the sun has started to appear from behind morning mist and cloud.
There is anticipation and a sense of excitement. Right now, this does feel more like a celebration than anything else.
The Pope’s funeral will take place at St Peter’s Square in Vatican City.
It’s the same place where he made his final public appearance on Easter Sunday. It will begin at 9am UK time – or 10am local time.
Mourners – including world leaders such as Donald Trump and Sir Keir Starmer – will pack into the Vatican for the service.
This is where a Pope’s funeral always happens, regardless of where they die.
What’s different?
Francis had a reputation for being an unconventional pope, but many of the traditions that will dictate his funeral date back more than 2,000 years.
They are compiled in a tome more than 400-pages long which includes the liturgy, music and prayers used for papal funerals over the centuries.
But last year, Francis requested a new edition of the tome, which simplified the funeral rites. One of the most notable changes was his coffin.
Previous popes were entombed in three interlocking coffins: one made from cypress, the second from metal and the third from elm or oak.
But Francis specified that only one coffin, a wooden one lined in zinc, should be used.
The zinc offers protection even as the outside of the coffin rusts, and it is believed that it will still contain a document describing his pontificate and the bag of coins used in traditional burials.
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re is presiding over today’s funeral service.
The Italian was the man to summon cardinals to Rome after the death of the pontiff and has presided over several key “congregation” meetings since.
However, he won’t take part in the process to elect the next pope.
That’s because, at 91, he’s too old to participate in conclave – in which those over 80 unable to cast a vote.
He can, however, be elected pope – but that’s seen as highly unlikely.
St Peter’s Square is filling up ahead of the service at 9am…
By Lisa Holland, Sky correspondent in Rome
There’s an early morning mist over St Peter’s Basilica.
But everyone expects it to clear for a day of sunshine for the funeral of Pope Francis.
Already mourners are pouring in from every direction – clamouring to get as close as they can to St Peter’s Square where the funeral will take place.
A group of school children excitedly shout “Papa” – proving that mourning can come in many forms, not just sadness.
There is also joyful recognition among those here for a life of service from Francis.
A bottleneck has built where bags are being checked – and a sea of red uniformed medics stand close by in hand for the anticipated huge crowd.
People from all walks of life are arriving – young and old and from a tapestry of countries.
This weekend would have been a special youth weekend in the Catholic calendar – and that feels very pertinent given Francis’s success in growing the Catholic Church around the world – and on a day when his popularity is expected to be reflected in the large numbers attending his funeral.
More than 200,000 people are expected to attend the ceremony, including some 130 delegations.
In 2023, around 50,000 people attended the funeral of Pope Benedict XVI, which came 10 years after he had resigned in 2013.
And in 2005, about 300,000 went to the funeral of Pope John Paul II, who died aged 84. An estimated four million people thronged the streets of the Vatican, alongside 8,000 security staff members, including 2,000 uniformed police officers and 1,400 plain-clothed officers.
There is a dress code, with men asked to where a dark suit with a long black tie, and a button of the same colour on the left lapel of the jacket, where only Vatican honours can be placed. They are allowed to wear white shirts.
Women are asked to wear long black dresses , ideally going below the knee, as well as gloves and a veil on their head. The only jewellery they are permitted to wear is a string of pearls.
Around 50 heads of state have confirmed their attendance, including Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump, along with 10 reigning sovereigns.
Their seats are assigned in advance, with the heads of state sitting in French alphabetic order based on their country’s name, rather than on the individual’s.
This applies to everyone apart from the presidents of Italy and Argentina, who get the best seats because the Pope lived in Italy and was an Argentinian native.
Nello Musumeci, Italy’s minister for civil protection, said the government had estimated its security operation for Saturday would cost at least €5m (£4.28m).
Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Rome ahead of Pope Francis’s funeral, officials have confirmed, despite confusion over whether he would attend.
Police have now said he is in the eternal city and will shortly head over to the Vatican for the service, which begins at 9am.
The funeral plans are dictated by the Funeral Rites of the Roman Pontiff and a 20-page document called the Universi Dominici Gregis (The Shepherd of the Lord’s Whole Flock) – which was issued by Pope John Paul II in 1996.
The service usually lasts about two-and-a-half hours and is mostly conducted in Latin.
It is being led by the dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, who will begin with a procession led by a priest carrying a cross, followed by the coffin and ordained clergy.
Patriarchs and cardinals are requested to wear their white damask mitres, while archbishops and bishops are asked to wear their amice, surplice, cincture and red stole.
The Swiss Guards, who have protected the pope and the Apostolic Palace since 1506, will kneel for the consecration of the host, the blessing of the bread and wine that, according to Catholic tradition, becomes the body and blood of Jesus Christ.
A homily or sermon will be delivered that will refer to the life of the Pope. The service will end with the final commendation and valediction.
After the service, the body is carried through the “door of death” to the left of the altar at St Peter’s, while a 10-ton funeral bell tolls.
The congregation’s chants include lines from Psalm 117 – “Open to me the gate of justice” – and Psalm 41 – “In the splendid company of the saints, I will go to the house of God.”
Big screens have been set up in St Peter’s Square to ensure everyone attending can watch the ceremony properly.
An anonymous benefactor is paying the cost of the funeral, the Vatican says.
Despite the early hour, thousands are already descending on the Vatican for the funeral of Pope Francis.
We’re expecting the service to begin at 9am UK time.
A pope’s funeral traditionally brings world leaders together, and some have already revealed they are attending tomorrow’s service.
Prince William, Donald Trump, Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron are attending, but it remains unclear whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be there.
Here’s a look at who else will be joining them, and who won’t be.
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