Pope Francis updates: Funeral to take place Saturday

The three matches in Italy's top football flight Serie A that were scheduled for Saturday have been postponed because of the funeral for Pope Francis taking place on the same day in Rome.

Inter Milan's clash with visitors AS Roma is now set to take place on Sunday afternoon.

Lazio were to play Parma in Rome, but the match has been rescheduled for the following Monday, while Como's home game with Genoa has been moved to Sunday lunchtime.

Italy's Olympic Committee CONI, the country's highest sporting organization, had earlier "invited" all other federations to suspend any events scheduled for the day.

Pope Francis himself was a lifelong soccer fan who admitted to having had "two left feet" when it came to the sport. He would often play in goal as a youth and later said this was a good way of learning how to respond to "dangers that could arrive from anywhere."

Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Francis' real name, was a supporter of the San Lorenzo club in Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires, and would attend matches there with his father and brothers.

The Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) has called for all sports events in the country scheduled for Saturday to be suspended because of the funeral for Pope Francis in Rome.

CONI president Giovanni Malago asked for this measure after the government declared five days of national mourning.

Malago also urged that a minute of silence be observed before all sports events during the week.

A rosary prayer has been held at the Vatican presided by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the day after the death of Pope Francis.

Worshippers gathered at St. Peter's Square to pay their respects to the late pontiff, with similar services set to take place each evening until Saturday's funeral.

Battista Re,  as the dean of the College of Cardinals, will also preside over the final farewell ceremony.

Earlier, the square saw believers and tourists alike gather to pay their respects on Tuesday, some bearing flowers or candles and with many lost in their thoughts.

Among them was Slovenian priest Bastian Dolinsek.

"When a church is left without its head we are all a little disoriented," he told the AFP news agency.

Sister Maria Guadeloupe Hernandez Olivo, from Mexico, said it had been "very hard, very sad" to hear news of the death of Francis, the world's first Latin American pope.

With so much attention focused on the Holy See, the world's media was also camped out in force in the iconic square.

And as darkness fell, an image of Francis was projected on a giant screen next to St. Peter's Basilica.

Two of the cardinals who are eligible to vote in the upcoming election of a new pope have canceled their participation in the conclave.

The Emeritus Archbishop of Valencia, 79-year-old Antonio Canizares, will not take part for health reasons, according to Spanish media reports.

On Monday, the Emeritus Archbishop of Sarajevo, 79-year-old Vinko Pulji, had already excused himself from attending the conclave for the same reason, according to the Croatian TV station RTL.

The two cancellations mean the number of voting members in the secret electoral assembly drops to 133. Only cardinals under the age of 80 are allowed to vote.

The illnesses also bring down the two-thirds majority of votes needed for a cardinal to be elected pope from 90 to 89.

The official media of the Holy See, Vatican News, has released details about the last hours of Pope Francis.

It said the pontiff started feeling ill at about 5:30 a.m. on Monday — less than 24 hours after he greeted a crowd of faithful in St Peter's Square on Easter Sunday.

He had had a quiet dinner the evening before.

Before falling into a coma, Francis waved to his personal nurse Massimiliano Strappetti from his bed. Vatican News described it as "a gesture of farewell."

He had thanked Strappetti the previous day for encouraging him to take what would become his last tour of St Peter's Square in his popemobile. "Thank you for bringing me back to the square," Francis was quoted as saying.

Francis had doubts about the ride, the first among the throngs of faithful after surviving a near-fatal case of double pneumonia. "Do you think I can manage it?" Vatican News reported him as having said. Once in the square, he embraced the crowd, especially the children, it added.

He was pronounced dead at 7:35 a.m. "He did not suffer. It all happened quickly," the outlet said, citing people with the pontiff in his final moments.

The pope died in the Casa Santa Marta, the Vatican residence where he lived during his 12-year papacy.

Prince William is due to represent Britain's royal family at the pope's funeral at the Vatican on Saturday.

The heir to the throne is attending the service "on behalf" of King Charles III, said Kensington Palace, the Prince of Wales' official seat. 

The decision is in keeping with modern tradition. While Prince of Wales, Charles represented his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, at the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005.

As British monarch, head of the Church of England, the mother church of global Anglicanism, Elizabeth never attended the funeral of a pontiff during her reign from 1952 to 2022.

Charles and his wife Camilla met Pope Francis for 20 minutes during their state visit to Italy earlier this month.

The 76-year-old Charles began treatment in February 2024 for an unnamed cancer. He was recently briefly admitted to hospital after experiencing side effects.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will also attend the funeral.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend Saturday's funeral.

Putin is subject to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2023 over the alleged abduction of Ukrainian children from Russian-occupied territories. Moscow refers to the incidents as "evacuations."

Asked whether Putin would be traveling to the Vatican, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday: "No. The president has no such plans."

While the state of Vatican City is not a signatory of the Rome Statute and is therefore not a member of the ICC, it is completely landlocked by Italy — which is.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said Francis had "prayed for peace in Ukraine," will attend with his wife, Olena Zelenska.

In Ukraine, there are approximately 371,000 Roman Catholics, while there are approximately 773,000 in Russia.

Germany's expected new chancellor, Friedrich Merz will not travel with the party heading to represent Berlin at the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is expected along with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who will lead Germany's delegation.

Merz said the decision was made in consultation with the German president and the outgoing chancellor, according to a spokesperson from his conservative Christian Democrats.

Merz on Monday expressed "great sorrow" at Francis's death, adding that he was "guided by humility and faith in God's mercy."

Merz was active in the Catholic Youth Community in his youth and has been a member of a Catholic student association since his college days.

The Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, has praised Pope Francis's support for Gazans and engagement with the tiny Catholic community in the war-devastated Palestinian territory.

The Catholic church's top authority in the region told journalists in Jerusalem that "Gaza represents, a little bit, all what was the heart of his pontificate."

Pope Francis, who died on Monday aged 88, repeatedly called for peace and "closeness to the poor... and to the neglected one," the patriarch said.

Those positions became particularly clear in Francis's response to the Israel-Hamas war that broke out in October 2023, the cleric said.

"He was very close to the community of Gaza, the parish of Gaza," said the patriarch, adding that the pope had at times been in daily contact with the community there.

Of the Gaza Strip's 2.4 million people, about 1,000 are Christians, most of whom are Orthodox.

If you are just joining us, here is what you need to know:

Pope Francis' funeral will be held on Saturday, April 26, at 10.00 a.m. (0800 GMT) at St. Peter's Basilica, the Vatican said in a statement.

Francis' open coffin has been placed at an altar in his former residence, the chapel of the Santa Marta guesthouse. He will be moved to St. Peter's Basilica on Wednesday.

The funeral is set to bring world leaders together at the Vatican, with German outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz among the world leaders to confirm their attendance.

Cardinals will also decide the next pope after the end of the official period of mourning that lasts for nine days after the funeral.

The Italian government has declared a five-day period of national mourning and flags flew at half-staff in countries including India, Australia, Taiwan and the US.

We will continue to cover what you need to know about reactions to the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday, and what happens next.

The Vatican has announced that the pope will lie in state before his funeral in St. Peter's Square on Saturday.

The pope's casket will be moved to St. Peter's Basilica on Wednesday morning and will open for public viewing for the faithful from 11 a.m. Vatican time (0900 GMT) to midnight.

On Thursday and Friday, the basilica will open at 7 a.m. Vatican time.

On Friday, the basilica will close at 7 p.m. local time, earlier than the usual closing time, which is midnight.

Pope Francis has died after 12 years serving as the head of the Catholic Church. Soon after his funeral, cardinals from all over the world will gather at the Vatican to start the process of choosing his successor. It is an old ritual called a papal conclave.

Selecting a new pope takes place behind closed doors, in a process called "conclave," that has so far remained shrouded in mystery.

But "Conclave," the movie released in 2024, followed the events of the process that takes place as red-cloaked members of a group of officials, called the College of Cardinals, gather in the Sistine Chapel to select the new pope.

Pope Francis' death has led to renewed interest in the movie which is in the process of switching streaming platforms.

The papal film won several honors during this years awards' season, including the Oscar for best adapted screenplay.

The Italian government declared a five-day period of national mourning following Pope Francis' death. Flags flew at half staff in countries including India, Australia, Taiwan and the US.

Soccer matches in Italy and Argentina were also suspended in honor of the Argentine pope. Mourners teared up in cathedrals as they gathered for prayers in honor of the late pope.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and First Lady Janja Lula da Silva, Argentine President Javier Milei, US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are among some of the notable leaders set to attend Pope Francis' funeral service at the Vatican on Saturday.

Some other notable attendees so far also include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and First Lady Olena Zelenska, Belgium's King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Bendito Freitas.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni are also set to attend Francis' funeral.