Pope Francis funeral updates: Zelensky attendance in doubt as coffin sealed
The Vatican has published the full order of service for Pope Francis's funeral, hours before leaders and faithfuls from around the world gather in Rome to remember the late pontiff.
The two-hour long televised funeral will mostly be held in Latin, but has been also transcribed into English, French, Italian and other languages.
Click here to scroll through the entire service in English, as transcribed in the booklet.
As well as drawing the great and the good to the Vatican in memory of Pope Francis, today's ceremony will be shown across the globe, including on the BBC and Sky News in the UK.
The funeral will begin at 10am local time (9am BST) and will be available to watch live in Britain from those times. It will also be shown on the Vatican's official website and YouTube channel, enabling people from across the world to watch the proceedings in real time.
The number of international leaders expected to attend has necessitated a "master seating plan" to stage-manage the "big egos" at play, Cardinal Vincent Nichols told PA.
"In the past, I've seen it here over and over again that the combination of Rome and the Holy See, they actually are geniuses at dealing with these big events," he said.
"I think they've been doing it since the emperors ruled Rome ... and I think every leader of a nation that comes here on Saturday will go home reasonably content."
After Pope Francis's funeral in St Peter's Square, a procession will see his coffin carried through the enclave and central Rome to the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, his final resting place which lies around 3.3 miles from the Vatican.
It will make him the first pope in over 100 years to be laid to rest outside the papal enclave, and his humble request for his burial detailed that the tomb be "simple without particular ornamentation" bearing only the inscription of his name in Latin, Franciscus.
As well as bringing together leaders and heads of state from around the world, Pope Francis's funeral will be broadcast across the globe from 10am local time (9am BST), including by the BBC and Sky News.
However, in a poll of Daily Express readers, only 32% said they were planning to watch the proceedings, with 65% saying they wouldn't and 3% saying they didn't know.
Despite being described as the "people's pope" for his humility and compassion for the poor, Francis was also a divisive figure, occasionally wading into international politics including the Gaza and Ukraine conflicts and making enemies in the church for his progressive attitude towards LGBTQ rights and immigration.
He was also criticised for failing to change the culture within the Catholic church to hold sexual abusers to account - something one organisation called the "tragedy of his papacy" after his death.
US President Donald Trump has reportedly touched down in Rome for Pope Francis's funeral tomorrow.
He told reporters that the late pontiff was a "fantastic kind of guy" who "loved the world" before boarding Air Force One this afternoon, and landed in Italy at around 10pm, Sky reports.
Pope Francis's coffin was sealed in a private ceremony inside St Peter's Basilica earlier this evening.
New photos shared by the Vatican show a white cloth being placed over the late pontiff's face before the coffin's lid is fixed ahead of tomorrow's funeral.
The ceremony also involved a bag of medals and coins placed inside the coffin and an account of Francis's papacy being read aloud.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, has admitted that picking the next pope is an "intimidating" prospect.
He will be among the four UK cardinals, and others from around the globe, to select Pope Francis's successor in a conclave at the Vatican's Sistine Chapel after the funeral and the church's nine day mourning period.
"I hope nobody goes into this conclave, as it were, with the sole purpose of wanting to win," he told Sky News.
"I think it's very important that we go in wanting to listen to each other... It has to be together, trying to sense what God wants next. Not just for the church."
Around 200,000 people are expected to attend Pope Francis's funeral in Rome tomorrow, Sky News reports.
Authorities in the Italian capital are also bracing for around a million visitors to flood the streets during the funeral procession, which will see the pontiff's body transported from St Peter's to the church of Santa Maria Maggiore, its final resting place.
Roughly 50,000 people attended the funeral of Pope Benedict XVI in 2023, a decade after his resignation, while around 300,000 paid their respects to Pope John Paul II in 2005.
The pope's coffin was sealed in a private ceremony at St Peter's Basilica at 8pm local time (7pm BST) today.
The liturgical rite was presided over by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, and attended by Cardinals and Holy See officials including Roger Michael Mahony, who was barred from public ministry for his role in covering up a child sex abuse scandal in 2013.
Mahony is a member of the College of Cardinals, who have gathered in Rome this week and will soon reunite for a papal conclave to choose Francis's successor.
Some 250,000 mourners paid their respects to Pope Francis over a three-day lying-in-state, the Vatican said on the eve of his funeral.
World leaders and dignitaries were arriving in Rome on Friday, to attend what will be a huge gathering in St Peter's Square for his requiem mass.
The final mourners had a chance to see the Pope close up in the grand surrounds of St Peter's Basilica, before his coffin was closed in private.
US President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer were among those due to arrive into Rome on Friday, and the Prince of Wales is also set to attend the mass on behalf of his father the King.
Irish President Michael D Higgins was among those to pay his respects in the basilica, having arrived earlier in the day.
The leader of Catholics in England and Wales, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, has predicted the funeral will be a "masterpiece" in stage-managing "big egos".
A Vatican spokesperson has confirmed Francis's birth country of Argentina, then Italy, will take precedence.
Thereafter, reigning sovereigns will be seated "in alphabetical order, but in French language", followed by heads of state.
Ireland's delegation comes ahead of both Prince William and the British Government delegation in the official order of precedence, because it is led by head of state Mr Higgins.
It falls between groups from Indonesia and Iceland, also led by those countries' heads of state.
Haakon, the Crown Prince of Norway, and William follow soon after in a category set aside for crown princes.
The British Government delegation includes Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria, as well as Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
US President Donald Trump and his wife First Lady Melania are seated ahead of both the Irish and British delegations, in between Estonia and Finland.
Cardinal Nichols, who will take part in his first conclave to elect a new pope in the coming weeks, said the funeral organisers are well used to dealing with the sensitivities of such big events.
He said the funeral will be "without a doubt another masterpiece of stage management when you consider those state leaders who have high opinions of their importance".
He added: "In the past, I've seen it here over and over again that the combination of Rome and the Holy See, they actually are geniuses at dealing with these big events.
"I think they've been doing it since the emperors ruled Rome - that they know how to deal with big egos.
"And I think every leader of a nation that comes here on Saturday will go home reasonably content."
Scaffolding has been erected to provide international media with the best vantage points overlooking St Peter's Square while there is a strong Italian police presence managing numbers and security.
Following Saturday's open-air funeral in the square, Francis's remains will be taken through the streets of Rome in another break with tradition, as his body is brought to a simple underground tomb in the basilica of Saint Mary Major, as per his instructions.
The Vatican said a group of "poor and needy" people will be present on the steps leading to the basilica to pay their last respects before the interment of the coffin, in a nod to Francis's particular care for the downtrodden.
According to the Vatican, after the funeral Mass at St. Peter’s on Saturday April 26, Pope Francis' remains will be transferred in procession to the Basilica of St Mary Major where a group of poor and marginalized people will pay their last respects before his burial in the church, as he expressed in his last wishes.
A statement from the Vatican said: "The group will include poor people, homeless, prisoners, migrants and transgender individuals, who will will pay their last tribute and express their gratitude to Pope Francis. For many of them, he was like a 'father'."
Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, will preside at the Rite of Sealing of the Coffin of the late Pope Francis, ahead of the papal funeral on Saturday morning.
The liturgical rite will be attended by several Cardinals and Holy See officials.
It will mark the end of public viewing in St. Peter’s Basilica, which has seen tens of thousands of people pay their respects to the late Pope.
Reports from Sky News suggest Ukrainian sources have told journalists in the UK President Zelensky may not attend the papal funeral tomorrow (Saturday) alongside other world leaders.
The wartime leader had already cut short a visit to South Africa following massive Russia bombing of Ukraine this week.
And Italian newspaper La Repubblica quoted Mr Zelensky as saying he is "not sure he'll have the time", adding "If I'll have the time I'll surely be in attendance.
"If I won't have the time, Ukraine will be adequately represented. In attendance will be the foreign minister and the first lady. When it comes to me, it is important to be here. Tomorrow we will host several military meeting."
Viewings of Pope Francis are drawing to an end at 6pm (BST), which is 7pm in Rome.
Father Ramez Twal, from Jersualem, Israel, was one of the last to pay their respects to the Pontiff.
He told the BBC: "It's amazing that we as a group from the Holy Land get to say the last goodbye for our late Pope Francis.
"He means a lot to me, because he gave us a spiritual way of thinking, he had a love he gave for all, and he taught us to respect each other.
"We will miss him.”
New pictures showing the massive scale of the crowds queueing to see Pope Francis lying in state have emerged.
Access is due to close to the queues in less than an hour.
Northern Ireland's First Minister Michelle O'Neill has praised Pope Francis's "unwavering commitment to justice and peace".
Ms O'Neill has confirmed she will travel to Rome to join leaders from across the world for the pontiff's funeral on Saturday.
The Sinn Fein vice president has cut short a family holiday to attend.
Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly will not be in attendance.
Ms O'Neill said: "I am proud to be attending the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday, paying my respects on behalf of everyone at home who cherished his leadership and looked to him as a spiritual and moral guide.
"Pope Francis will be remembered as a leader of deep humility, compassion and courage, with an unwavering commitment to justice and peace.
"His passing is deeply felt in Ireland and across the world, leaving a legacy that continues to inspire millions."
Ms O'Neill will join political leaders including US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Ireland's premier Micheal Martin at the ceremony.
Ireland's president Michael D Higgins, Irish deputy premier Simon Harris, Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin and Archbishop of Dublin Dermot Farrell will also attend.
According to the Vatican, the College of Cardinals remains the body responsible for electing the Pope, following a millennial tradition enshrined in precise canonical norms.
As of April 21, 2025, the College included 135 Cardinal Electors, 108 of whom were appointed by Pope Francis, and 117 non-electors.
The Conclave, as an "ancient institution," is confirmed as the setting for the election of the new Pope.
John Paul II reaffirmed its essential structure and mandated that all election proceedings take place exclusively in the Sistine Chapel of the Apostolic Palace.
To validly elect a new Pope, a two-thirds majority of the electors present is required. If the total number of electors is not evenly divisible by three, an additional vote is necessary.
The Conclave could begin on May 5, following a nine-day mourning period which starts with Saturday's funeral.
Speaking outside the White House, President Trump said: "I thought he was a fantastic kind of guy".
Heads of state and royalty will start converging on Rome on Friday for the funeral of Pope Francis in the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Square.
US President Donald Trump and Argentine President Javier Milei are among the leaders arriving on Friday, the last day the Argentine pope will lie in state in St. Peter’s Basilica before his coffin is sealed in the evening in preparation for his funeral Saturday.
The Vatican said 130 delegations are confirmed, including 50 heads of state and 10 reigning sovereigns.
President Trump, who is traveling with first lady Melania Trump, is scheduled to arrive Friday, after Francis’ coffin has been sealed.
Among the other foreign dignitaries confirmed for the papal funeral are:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and first lady Olena Zelenska
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer
French President Emmanuel Macron
Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
According to the BBC, an SMS alert was sent to phones of people in the vicinity of the Vatican telling them access to the queue would be closed at 6pm local time.
Once closed, it is expected to take until 7pm local time for everyone to file past His Holiness.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, will preside at the Rite of Sealing of the Coffin of the late Pope Francis, ahead of the papal funeral on Saturday morning.
The liturgical rite will be attended by several Cardinals and Holy See officials.
It will mark the end of public viewing in St. Peter’s Basilica, which has seen tens of thousands of people pay their respects to the late Pope.
Pope Francis’ coffin will be sealed during a liturgical rite held in St. Peter’s Basilica on Friday, April 25, at 8pm
Coverage of the Pope's funeral will begin at 7.30am (GMT) on the BBC with Reeta Chakrabarti presenting live from St Peter's Square.
It will also be available to watch live on ITVX and YouTube from 9am.
Sky News will host a live programme from Rome with presenter Anna Botting. Their scheduling begins at 7am and is set to last until 1pm.
If you'd like to watch the funeral tomorrow morning, our coverage will begin at 09:30 local time (07:30 GMT, 08:30 BST), presented by Reeta Chakrabarti live from St Peter's Square in the Vatican.
It will be broadcast here on the BBC News website and app as part of our live coverage, or you will be able to watch it on BBC1 and iPlayer.
Final mourners were in a queue for their last chance to see Pope Francis's remains - as a UK cardinal predicted the funeral will be a "masterpiece" in stage managing "big egos" as world leaders fly in to pay their respects.
US President Donald Trump is among those due to attend the requiem mass for the late pontiff, joining dignitaries from across the globe.
Tens of thousands of members of the public have queued and filed past Francis's open coffin in St Peter's Basilica, during its three-day lying-in-state which will end on Friday evening.
Funeral preparations are under way, with an altar in place and seats set out for cardinals as well as world leaders.
Italian police are on the ground managing crowds, while scaffolding has been erected to provide international media with the best vantage points overlooking the square, for a funeral expected to be watched by people around the world.
Vast crowds are expected to gather ahead of Saturday's funeral in St Peter's Square, which will see the highest-ranking members of the Catholic Church and major political leaders come together to bid a final farewell to the 88-year-old Pope.
Also on the list to attend are UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, the Prince of Wales on behalf of the King, French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Irish premier Micheal Martin and the nation's President Michael D Higgins.
President Higgins was among those to visit the basilica on Friday, and was pictured alongside his wife Sabina as they paid their respects.
The queue will close to the public at 6pm local time, with viewings expected to end at 7pm.
Some 150,000 have passed by Francis's coffin in the past three days.
An emergency alert rang out on phones in Vatican City on Friday, with a warning from the civil protection department that public access to St Peter's Square would close at 5pm the same day.
Meanwhile, the leader of Catholics in England and Wales, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, said organisers of what will be an enormous gathering of well-known names "are geniuses at dealing with these big events".
In an interview in Rome, the Archbishop of Westminster said the funeral will be "without a doubt another masterpiece of stage management when you consider those state leaders who have high opinions of their importance".
He added: "In the past, I've seen it here over and over again that the combination of Rome and the Holy See, they actually are geniuses at dealing with these big events.
"I think they've been doing it since the emperors ruled Rome - that they know how to deal with big egos.
"And I think every leader of a nation that comes here on Saturday, will go home reasonably content."
Huge crowds were seen waiting in line for a chance to see Pope Francis who is lying in state in St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.
More than 150,000 are estimated to have come to see the Pontiff over the past three days.
His funeral will be held on Saturday.
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