Pope Francis is lying in state in St Peter’s Basilica, where tens of thousands of mourners will file past his open casket over the next three days to pay their respects. Watch live footage from inside the basilica in the stream below.
Wednesday 23 April 2025 19:03, UK
We’ll be pausing our coverage for now and won’t be providing more text updates – but you can follow live scenes from inside St Peter’s Basilica in our stream at the top of this page.
Today, thousands of people poured into St Peter’s to pay their final respects to Pope Francis, whose body is lying in state for three days ahead of his funeral on Saturday.
Watch below: Sky News inside the Vatican
Crowds stretched down the main boulevard leading through Rome into the Vatican, pressing forward slowly to see the pontiff in his open coffin.
Mourners have until 11pm UK time to see the Pope’s open casket today, although the Vatican did suggest earlier it was considering extending the hours due to demand.
Public viewing will continue tomorrow between 6am and 11pm UK time, with an earlier closing time of 6pm on Friday.
Saturday’s funeral will be attended by leaders from around the world, including Donald Trump, Prince William and Sir Keir Starmer.
One of four British cardinals has spoken for the first time since the death of Pope Francis.
Sky News asked Arthur Roche, 75, who will have a vote on the next pontiff, if Francis had ever personally struggled with issues he publicly addressed, such as the war in Gaza, migration and same-sex unions.
„He was just a straightforward man of the gospel,“ Roche told chief presenter Anna Botting.
The Pope’s view was, he said: „If the Lord had said this in the gospel while he was with us, as a man, that’s what we were supposed to be doing.“
Roche added the Pope was „very carefree“ about how the public should interpret what he said.
„But at the same time, he was a man of great compassion,“ he said.
„And when you think of all the people that he’s had, as a head of state, to receive, the Vatican was always trying to be very open with everybody [and] doesn’t want to enter into conflict with any person.
„And that must have been difficult for him, I think, on some occasions.„
Vatican staff are setting up St Peter’s Square for the Pope’s funeral on Saturday.
A big screen is in place, with dozens of chairs laid out.
By Adam Parsons, Europe correspondent in Rome
We were invited into St Peter’s Basilica by Vatican officials to see, hear and experience thousands of people filing past the coffin of Pope Francis.
Inside, it is peaceful and still.
Those who come to give thanks are a mixture – I saw nuns in a variety of habits and a group of priests.
But there were also visitors in football shirts, a man in a London Underground T-shirt and a series of family groups.
The doors are open to all, as long as you are prepared to wait. As I write this, the queue to get in is enormous – those joining now are expected to take eight hours to get to the front.
You can see Pope Francis’s clasped hands as you approach his coffin.
There is a palpable sense that, for those of deep faith, the open coffin allows simple confirmation that he truly has gone.
Around his coffin stand four Swiss guards, stock still.
A family come past, using sign language to share their emotions. A trio of nuns, smiling. A young woman in jeans, sobbing.
You can stand in front of the Pope’s coffin for only a matter of seconds before being moved on but, for many, this is an experience they will never forget.
We’ve just had this statement from the Vatican, which will provide some hope to the people at the back of the eight-hour queue to see the Pope.
„Given the large turnout of faithful wishing to pay homage to the Holy Father, the possibility of extending the opening hours of the Vatican Basilica beyond the established time of midnight [local time] isn’t ruled out,“ a spokesman said.
The Pope’s casket was placed on the floor in front of the altar at St Peter’s Basilica.
This particular spot is perhaps the most revered location in the Catholic world.
That’s because the altar is built on top of where St Peter’s body was believed to be buried.
St Peter was the first pope and was martyred in the reign of Emperor Nero almost 2,000 years ago.
As we reported earlier, visitors can expect to wait up to eight hours in the queue at the Vatican.
Once they arrive by the Pope’s casket, they have a few moments to pay respects before moving on.
Italian cardinal Giovanni Battista Re will be giving a sermon at the Pope’s funeral on Saturday.
At the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005, the sermon was delivered by German cardinal Joseph Ratzinger – who became Pope Benedict XVI less than two weeks later.
He delivered what many considered to be a stirring elocution on the late pope’s life and legacy.
Re is 91, cannot enter the conclave – where the new pope is elected – and is not a papal contender.
But insiders expect he might still try to offer a guide in the way he chooses to describe Francis’s papacy, or in any words he uses to describe the needs of the Catholic Church today.
Over in Westminster, Sir Keir Starmer opened Prime Minister’s Questions by paying tribute to the Pope.
Sir Keir called him an „extraordinary man“, whose „work on fairness will leave a legacy“.
„I think the outpouring of grief and love that we’ve seen in the last two days or so shows the respect and admiration that he was held in around the world,“ he added.
„May his Holiness rest in peace.“
This was greeted by murmurs of support from MPs across the House of Commons.
Picking up on this tribute, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, whose children are Catholic, added: „Can I also associate myself with the remarks about the passing of his Holiness Pope Francis on Easter Monday.
„Being married to a Catholic, I know the profound loss for millions in Britain and across the world.“
Sir Keir confirmed yesterday he will attend the Pope’s funeral on Saturday.
Mourners have until 11pm UK time to see the Pope’s open casket today, with thousands taking the opportunity so far.
And those at the back of the line in St Peter’s Square may be cutting it fine, as Vatican sources have told us the queue is already eight hours long. The doors were opened to the public at 10am, with more than 20,000 thought to be waiting.
Public viewing will continue tomorrow between 6am and 11pm UK time, with an earlier closing time of 6pm on Friday.
The Pope’s funeral takes place on Saturday.
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Pope Francis latest: Preparations under way for funeral; thousands queue for hours to see open casket – Sky News
