
How to watch the funeral of Pope Francis – and how is it breaking from tradition?
Tens of thousands of people waited for hours to pay their respects to the pontiff as his body was lying in state this week.
Faithful queue near St. Peter's Basilica to pay respects as Pope Francis lies in state, as seen from Rome, Italy, April 25, 2025. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem
The funeral of Pope Francis, who died on Monday at the age of 88, will take place in Rome on Saturday morning.
Tens of thousands of people waited for hours to pay their respects to the pontiff as his body was lying in state this week.
The coffin will be sealed by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who is originally from Dublin, in a ritual this evening ahead of the papal funeral on Saturday morning.
What time will the funeral take place at?
The funeral will begin at 9am Irish time, which is 10am local time in Rome.
How can I watch it?
Coverage of the papal funeral begins at 8.30am on RTÉ One, RTÉ Player and RTÉ Radio One on Saturday morning.
It will also be livestreamed by Vatican News on YouTube.
Where is it taking place?
The funeral mass is taking place in St Peter's Square in the Vatican City, followed by burial at Santa Maria Maggiore.
What happens during the funeral?
An outdoor service led by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the college of cardinals, will be held at St Peter's Square.
Following the funeral mass, a procession will take his coffin to Santa Maria Maggiore, just over two miles from St Peter's, for burial.
How will this funeral be different from other papal funerals?
Pope Francis did not wish for a funeral and burial that followed traditional papal funerals, instead setting out simplified plans that would allow him to be 'laid out and buried like any son or daughter of the church', without an elevated platform.
He wanted his body placed in a single, simple coffin made of wood and lined with zinc instead of the traditional three coffins seen during papal funerals, which saw the body placed in a cypress wood coffin which was placed in a lead coffin which was placed in an oak coffin.
Pope Francis will be buried in the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica rather than St Peter's Basilica.
He requested to be buried 'in the ground, without particular decoration' other than the inscription of his papal name in Latin, Franciscus.
His tomb has been made with materials from the Italian region of Liguria, where his great grandfather lived before emigrating to Argentina in the 1800s.
Who will be in attendance?
President Michael D Higgins, his wife Sabina, Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris will represent Ireland at the funeral.
US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania will also be in attendance, alongside UN secretary general António Guterres, French president Emmanuel Macron, UK prime minister Keir Starmer and others.
Tens of thousands members of the public are also expected to attend.
There are extensive security plans in place as a result of the high-profile guests and world leaders who will be in Rome this weekend, including barriers, anti-drone weaponry and anti-terrorism units.
What happens next?
The Novemdiales, the nine days of mourning, will take place following the funeral.
The conclave, when 135 cardinals will gather in the Sistine Chapel to appoint the next pope, is expected to begin between May 5 and 10.
A pontiff is only elected when a single candidate receives a two-thirds majority in a secret ballot.
The ballot papers are then burned in a small fire inside the Sistine Chapel. The black smoke which is produced by the fire tells the crowds waiting outside that a new pope has yet to be chosen.
When a new pontiff has been elected, the ballot papers are burned along with an additive that turns the smoke white.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Dublin Live
3 hours ago
- Dublin Live
Urgent Temu warning as toy poses 'choking hazard' to children
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Irish parents have been issued an urgent warning after a teddy bear toy sold online was recalled due to a potential choking hazard for children. The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) issued the alert on Tuesday, revealing a safety issue with the Teddy Bear Plush Toy sold on the Temu platform. The CCPC reported a choking risk, as the seams of the toy can come apart, allowing small children to access and ingest the fibrous stuffing material, reports the Irish Mirror. The affected product is model number YJCRIEIG, identification number 7131914370, and Goods ID 601099546642677, with all batches impacted. Approximately 123 affected products are in circulation in the Republic of Ireland. Consumers who believe they may have purchased the product are advised to stop using it immediately and keep it out of reach of children. The CCPC advises: "Customers should stop using the product immediately and keep it out of the reach of children. Temu has contacted affected consumers regarding this recall on behalf of the seller, and reimbursements have been issued to those impacted." Consumers who have not received a refund or have further questions or concerns about this product are urged to contact Temu's Dedicated Customer Service team. The notification comes hot on the heels of an urgent recall for a beloved baby story book due to safety concerns. The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) announced on Thursday that Hodder and Stoughton Limited, trading as Hachette Children's Group, is recalling its 'First Baby Days: Bath Time' bath book. The danger flagged to the CCPC involves the potential ingestion of flakes and ink. When used in water, the colour coating of the product may start peeling off, leading to flaking. These soft ink flakes could then be swallowed by children. In a separate alert issued on Thursday, a popular children's swing has been recalled over fears that kids could become 'trapped' and sustain grave injuries. KBT NV has initiated a recall of its TriX Plastic swing, confirmed by the CCPC, after identifying a safety issue with the item. The CCPC has specified that the risk associated with this product is injuries. In particular, the swing has accessible openings and holes where "a child can become trapped and suffer injuries". Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage.


Agriland
7 hours ago
- Agriland
New varieties added to grass and clover lists for England and Wales
Two white clover, one red clover, two Italian rye-grass, and eight perennial rye-grass varieties have been added to the Recommended Grass and Clover Lists (RGCL) for England and Wales 2025/26. The new varieties have been granted provisional recommended status after they showed a clear improvement compared with the varieties already on the lists. The varieties were added to the list yesterday (Tuesday, June 10), following over six years of independent and rigorous testing at trial sites across England and Wales. The grass and clover varieties were assessed under a range of conditions, covering both conservation and simulated grazing management systems. These provisionally recommended varieties will be reassessed after five years. If they continue to perform well, they will be recommended for general use and reviewed every four years, until they are outclassed by other varieties. Forage crop specialist at the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB), Ellie Roberts, who coordinates the RGCL trial programme on behalf of the British Society of Plant Breeders, said: 'The RGCL is a mechanism that challenges breeders to continue developing grass and clover varieties with increased forage yield potential, nutritional quality, and nitrogen use efficiency.' 'With input from seed merchants, the lists can help farmers identify the best varieties and variety mixtures for specific farming systems while considering growing conditions, animal nutritional requirements and economic efficiency.' New grass and clover varieties The new grass and clover varieties are as follows: White clover varieties: Ruru; W140140; Ruru; W140140; Red clover varieties: RGT Javva; RGT Javva; Italian rye-grass varieties: Ascari (diploid); Glacomo (diploid). Ascari (diploid); Glacomo (diploid). Intermediate perennial rye-grass varieties: Bartui (diploid); Castlewellan* (tetraploid). Bartui (diploid); Castlewellan* (tetraploid). Late perennial rye-grass varieties: AberEsk (diploid); Angorat (diploid); Frogmore (diploid); Scartorp (diploid); AberLiffey (diploid); Ardress (tetraploid). Unless stated, all varieties have been granted a provisional general use recommendation. Varieties marked with an asterisk (*) have been granted a provisional specific use recommendation. Due to seed availability, not all new additions will be widely available initially.

Irish Times
8 hours ago
- Irish Times
Leaving Cert French: tricky vocab and grammar questions pose a challenge
Students sitting this morning's higher-level French paper were tested more than usual by tricky vocabulary and grammar questions in the second comprehension question, teachers have said. Barry Hennessy, ASTI subject representative for French, said this was a literary comprehension test, focusing on an author wishing to write a book about an elderly woman he meets by chance. 'Students here needed to read the full text and the questions very closely, both of which were very nuanced at times,' Mr Hennessy, who is a teacher at Coláiste Eanna, Rathfarnham, Dublin 16, said. 'Students in the middle ground are likely to have found this passage and the questions quite challenging. READ MORE Leaving Cert French higher level 'Specifically, students were asked to find a verb in the passé composé past tense as opposed to just the past participle of the verb concerned, meaning that they ideally should have included the auxiliary verb but not the subject to achieve full marks.' Mr Hennessy pointed out that students should not worry too much about the tricky vocabulary in question two. 'Overall, a high standard of vocabulary and a careful, methodical approach were necessary to do well on this question,' he said. 'However, it must be pointed out that the marking scheme will be carefully designed and, if necessary, modified to ensure that candidates are rewarded for valid attempts, even where these fall short of full marks.' Elizabeth Lyne, who offers tutoring at and teaches at Coláiste Mhichíl in Limerick, said some familiar topics appeared on the paper, including a diary entry about cancelling a party due to a red weather alert. 'This is similar to a question that appeared a few years ago about cancelling New Year's Eve plans,' she said. 'Students may have been expecting a question on vaping, but what appeared instead was a question on drug use. They would have been able to repurpose material about vaping for this question, and my students would also have the vocabulary to write about health and addiction.' Geraldine Dwyer, subject expert and a teacher at Se. ondary School, Macroom, Co Cork, said that a question on gender equality would be a topic which candidates would have prepared, as it is a core topic. 'The question on engagement in political life would be more challenging and would incorporate a range of issues,' Ms Dwyer said. In the listening comprehension section, Ms Lyne said that some students found a question about criminals accessing a pharmacy to be tricky. Corinne Gavenda, a teacher at the Institute of Education, said that some students might have found it tougher than last year as the pace of the speaker increased. 'However, for some this would be a benefit as it was a better representation of the natural cadence of the language,' said Ms Gavenda. 'Throughout the sections students will be happy with both the material and the vocabulary. Section D was particularly lovely as the topic of introducing uniforms in French schools was expected to appear this year – some students could have guessed the answers. 'The biggest challenge came in Section E as the word 'brisant' (breaking) was essential, but students would be more familiar with 'casse' and so miss out on the exact answer.' Ordinary The ordinary-level French paper was fine, overall, teachers said. 'Candidates and teachers will have been pleased to see the recent pattern of the popular form-filling question in written production focusing on applying for a job,' said Mr Hennessy. 'Candidates will have been well-prepared for and reassured by this question.' Ms Lyne said that it was a doable paper, but that a question about fast fashion may have been more suited to higher-level. Leaving Cert French ordinary level Try this one at home: -Leaving Cert French, higher level, section B, Q4 Selon Santé Publique France, en septembre 2024, 29,9% des jeunes de 17 ans avaient expérimenté le cannabis pendant le mois précédent. Il y a une augmentation dans la co ommation des autres drogues aussi. En Irlande, est‐ce que la consommation de la drogue est un problème parmi les jeunes ?