Apr 22, 2025, 10:10 PM GMT
Death of a pope: Selection process for successor explained
ABC News' Terry Moran speaks with Mike Marza in Vatican City about the process for choosing the next pope and what to expect.
Pope Francis laid to rest after historic funeral | Eyewitness News updates
Last updated: Saturday, April 26, 2025 8:49PM GMT
NEW YORK (WABC) -- World dignitaries and Catholic faithful attended Pope Francis' funeral in St. Peter's Square on Saturday.
Despite the presence of presidents and princes, prisoners and migrants ushered him into the basilica where he will be buried, reflecting his priorities as pope, as hundreds of thousands have flocked to the funeral Mass.
U.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, the U.N. chief and European Union leaders, as well as Prince William and the Spanish royal family, were in attendance.
Francis is breaking with recent tradition to be buried in the St. Mary Major Basilica in a simple underground tomb with just his name: Franciscus.
Argentinian-born Jorge Mario Bergoglio became the Catholic Church's 266th pope and the first ever from Latin America. He took the name Francis after the well-known St. Francis of Assisi, who ministered to the poor.
Pope Francis died on Easter Monday at the age of 88 after suffering a stroke, setting off mourning in the Catholic world and days of ritual at the Vatican.
1 of 28
AP Photo/Antonietta Baldassarre
Apr 22, 2025, 10:37 PM GMT
New Yorkers visiting Italy capture one of Pope Francis' last moments in St. Peter's Square
New Yorkers Lisset and Angel Alvarez, who were visiting Italy, captured one of the Pope's final moments in St. Peter's Square during a surprise visit on Easter.
The couple was emotional, recalling their experience to Mike Marza and how grateful they were to witness the Pope in one of his last moments alive.
Mike Marza reports:
Another family visiting Italy from Rahway, New Jersey, spoke to Mike Marza about being in Rome during this historic time.
Apr 22, 2025, 8:51 PM GMT
With more than 61 million Catholics in the US, could the next pope be an American?
With more than 61 million Catholics and the second-highest number of cardinals after Italy, the United States is primed for the question of whether an American pontiff is possible in the wake of Pope Francis' death on Monday.
Francis, a Jesuit from Argentina who died in the early hours of Monday at age 88, after 12 years as leader of the Roman Catholic Church, was the first non-European pope in nearly 1,300 years.
The United States has 17 cardinals, 10 of whom are eligible to vote in the election of the next pope, according to the Vatican. The country with the most cardinals is Italy, which has 51, including 17 eligible to vote for the next pontiff, according to the Vatican.
The United States has 61.9 million Catholics, representing about 19% of the total population, according to the most recent U.S. Religion Census conducted in 2020 by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies.
Click here for more.
Apr 22, 2025, 2:29 PM GMT
Zelenskyy will attend Pope Francis' funeral
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will travel with the Ukrainian first lady to attend Pope Francis' funeral in Rome on Saturday, Zelenskyy's communications adviser said Tuesday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has no plans to attend Pope Francis' funeral, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Tuesday. Peskov said it has not been decided who will represent Russia at the funeral right now.
"When it is made, we will inform you," Peksov added.
