What time is the pope’s funeral on TV? Schedule and how to watch in the UK
The late Pope Francis’ funeral is set to be a historic event, with hundreds of thousands of mourners descending onto the Vatican to pay their respects for ‘the people’s pope’ this Saturday. If you’re not one of those people but still want to see the events unfold, you can watch everything in real time live on TV and streaming online. Read on for all the information you need to watch the day’s events.
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What time is the pope’s funeral?
Pope Francis’ funeral mass takes place on Saturday 26 April, at 10 AM (9AM BST) in St. Peter’s Square. This marks the start of nine days of mourning known as Novemdiales, a tradition of mourning and masses “for the repose of the late Pope’s soul”.
The 2½-hour service is mostly held in Latin. After the funeral, Pope Francis’ coffin will be transferred to the Basilica of St Mary Major, a church lying outside the Vatican’s walls which the pope had a “very strong connection” to. He’ll be the first pope to be buried there since the 1600s, and the first in over 100 years to be buried outside the Vatican.
It’s not the only tradition he’s modernised. Previous popes would have three coffins — one made of wood, another of lead and a third, again of wood. But in 2024, Pope Francis simplified the rules for a papal funeral, to use only a wooden coffin lined in zinc.
Will the pope’s funeral be televised?
Yes, heavily. You can catch the events unfold live on TV and online. The Vatican’s website and YouTube channel have been streaming the week’s events already. For those wanting to watch on TV, go to Sky News, the BBC or ITVX.
What time is the pope’s funeral on TV?
BBC One will have a programme showing the funeral between 8.30am and 12.30pm, presented by Reeta Chakrabarti. This cuts into the slot which normally runs BBC Breakfast.
The funeral will be available to watch live on ITVX and on ITV’s YouTube channel from 9am on Saturday.
Funeral coverage on Sky News will begin at 8am and run until 1pm. Sky News presenter Anna Botting will be hosting live from Rome, with commentary from Sky News commentator Alastair Bruce. You can catch it on Sky News on TV, or on YouTube and the Sky News App.
Watch the Vatican’s livestream
Funeral schedule and timeline
The Vatican has published a full order of service for the day’s events. It’s s 87 pages long and contains the service in English, Italian and Latin.
8.30am local time (7.30am BST)
Archbishops and bishops assemble in the Constantine Wing, a corridor adjacent to St Peter’s Basilica. They will wear chasuble (the outer garment worn by clergy during services), alb, belts and a simple white mitre.
9am local time (8am BST)
The patriarchs and cardinals will meet in Saint Sebastian’s Chapel in the Basilica where they will then walk in the funeral procession alongside Francis’s coffin.
10am local time (9am BST)
The funeral will begin and the coffin will be laid in the square in front of St Peter’s Basilica, with a choir singing introductory rites in Latin.
The service will end with prayers for Pope Francis and a final commendation – a concluding prayer where the Pope will be formally entrusted to God.
After the service, Pope Francis’ body will be transported from St Peter’s to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome for burial.
Who is attending the funeral?
Hundreds of thousands of guests and mourners are expected at Pope Francis’ funeral on Saturday, with around 170 heads of state, royals and government officials confirmed to attend too, according to the Rome mayor’s office. Downing Street confirmed Sir Keir Starmer will attend as well as Prince William who’s confirmed to attend on behalf of King Charles. Royal expert Katie Nicholl explained in Vanity Fair that King Charles “will not travel to the Vatican, in accordance with protocol and precedence which dictates that the Sovereign does not attend funerals, Buckingham Palace has confirmed”. Though the King Charles and Queen Camilla had just visited the late Pope during their tour of Italy a few weeks ago.
It’ll be a president and prime minister roll call on top of that, with US president Donald Trump, Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky and Belgium King Philippe and Queen Mathilde all confirmed.
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