How to watch the funeral of Pope Francis on TV or livestream it online for free

Pope Francis’ funeral mass will be held on Saturday morning in St. Peter’s Square, a large plaza in front of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.

Francis’ funeral will take place six days after he died of a stroke and heart failure at age 88. It comes after three days of public viewing at St. Peter’s Basilica, where tens of thousands of people flocked to pay their respects to the first Latin American pope.

After the mass, the pope’s coffin will be taken to Rome and entombed at St. Mary Major Basilica, near his favorite Madonna icon, making him the first pope to be buried outside of the Vatican in over a century, according to NPR. (Leo XIII was the last pope buried outside the Vatican in 1903.) Francis wrote about his plans for a pared-down burial in his autobiography, and reportedly left instructions that future popes will also have simplified burial rites.

The break with tradition is in line with “the People’s Pope’s” progressive 12-year reign as pontiff, characterized by a concern for the poor and greater inclusion in the church. Known to be humble, Francis chose to be buried in a simple wooden coffin instead of the more traditional three-nested coffins (one made of cypress, one made of lead, and one made of elm), according to CBS News.

A number of heads of state from over 100 foreign delegations are expected to attend the funeral, including U.S. president Donald The President and first lady Melania The President, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, U.K. prime minister Keir Starmer, and Prince William (on behalf of King Charles III), NPR reported. The Italian government expects as many as 200,000 people to attend in person.

One notable absence: Russian president Vladimir Putin, according to Russian media reports, due to his arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) in connection with alleged war crimes in Ukraine.

What time is Pope Francis’ funeral?

Saturday’s funeral mass will begin at 10 a.m. local time, which is 4 a.m. ET.

The Vatican said the mass will be presided over by the dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re. The College of Cardinals will meet in a few weeks, between May 6 and May 11, to elect a new pope, as required by the rules governing the conclave.

How can I watch or stream Pope Francis’ funeral live?

All networks will be covering this historic day. Traditional cable subscribers or those with an over-the-air antenna can tune in, as well as those with certain streaming service subscriptions:

• ABC: Coverage starts at 3:30 a.m. ET, including on Disney+ and Hulu
• CBS: Coverage starts at 4 a.m. ET, and concludes at about 7 a.m.
• NBC: Coverage is also available on Peacock+

If you cut the cord and don’t have an over-the-air antenna, you can try live TV streaming services, including:

• Hulu + Live TV
• Fubo
• Peacock+
• YouTube TV

You can also livestream coverage of the funeral and procession to St. Mary Majors on the Vatican News YouTube channel. However, coverage will stop before the burial in the Basilica.

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