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Funeral to be Held Saturday in St. Peter's Square; Reflecting on Pope Francis' Historic 2019 Visit to the UAE; Iran Suggests U.S. Could Benefit from "Tens of Billions of Dollars" in Nuclear Energy Contracts; Trump Defends Hegseth in Second Military Chat Controversy; Heartful Tribute from Pope's Beloved Football Team. Aired 9-10a ET

Aired April 22, 2025 - 09:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[09:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Right, this is the scene at St. Peters Square, where mourners are remembering Pope Francis. It's 03:00

p.m. there. It's 05:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson. This is "Connect the World" from our Middle East Programming Hub. Also coming up,

the pope's funeral has been scheduled.

We look back on his life and at what comes next for the Vatican. Meanwhile, economic concerns grow as Donald Trump's tariffs royal markets, the IMF has

just issued a new warning of a sharp slowdown. And the fallout continues for Pete Hegseth. Details emerge of another group chat where sensitive

military details were shared.

Well stock market in New York opens about 30 minutes from now. Let's have a look at the futures for you. It was a miserable day for investors who hope

that these markets go higher, yesterday. A bit of a what's known as a fill up on those markets, certainly ahead of time, indicating a higher open

today.

We will get back to New York at half past 9 local time for the opening of those markets. We know now Pope Francis' funeral will be held on Saturday

morning. The faith will have been flocking to St. Peters Square to mourn the pontiff who, of course, died on Monday of a stroke and heart failure.

Many of them sharing words of appreciation and gratitude for the way that he led the Catholic Church.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We respect him as a religious person, and in personally, I love him. His taught, his vision because he always talks about the peace.

He always talks about the like the peaceful country, not only for in one faith, talk about the whole humanity, and his voice is really, really good,

and we love him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, the Vatican has released these images of the pontiff lying in a modest wooden coffin in his papal residence at the Vatican. Tomorrow,

the coffin will be moved to St. Peter's Basilica, where he will lie in state before his funeral. CNN's Ben Wedeman there in St. Peter's Square,

and he joins us now.

Ben it's good to have you. Pope Francis' body will lie in state starting tomorrow. Just walk us through what the public can expect at this point.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's going to be line and state as of 9 o'clock in the morning, local time in St. Peter's

Basilica, after being moved from the chapel in the Casa Santa Marta, which is the residence of the Vatican where Pope Francis stayed before.

Now, when initially after that, 09:00 a.m. moving of the casket to St. Peter's Basilica, there will be a brief ceremony with cardinals and other

Vatican officials, and then the public will be able to walk by his coffin and see him lying in state, an open coffin. And that will be the case until

Saturday, when at 10:00 a.m. local time the funeral will take place.

So, this will be an opportunity, and we -- I'm sure we will see thousands and thousands of people from early morning until late at night coming to

pay their respects for Pope Francis. Now what's interesting is yesterday Pope Francis' testament, his last testament was published by the Vatican.

And he made it very clear he wants to be buried in a simple tomb, he said, in the earth with his tomb marked simply by his name in Latin, Franciscus,

no decorations, no sort of trappings of wealth and power that seems so popular with world leaders today. So, he is leaving this world much in the

way he lived his life here, Becky.

ANDERSON: And as people bid their farewells, so the conversation is beginning about who will be the next pope. Who are the front runners at

this point, Ben?

WEDEMAN: Well, sort of the front runner is Pietro Parolin, who is the Kamar Langod, sort of the chamberlain, the senior official within the Vatican

after the pope. He is going to be presiding over the services on Sunday in St. Peter's Basilica. He is somebody who helped negotiate an agreement with

China.

[09:05:00]

He has been basically a war diplomat. He is really the front runner. After that, you have candidates from the Philippines, from the Congo, from the

United States, as elsewhere, elsewhere. But rather than going down a list of names, Becky, it's important to keep in mind that oftentimes those who

are put forward as we prepare for conclaves as the most Papabile, the most pop so to speak, usually, are never the ones who are actually elected after

the conclave.

For instance, in 2013 after Pope Benedict XVI made his surprise resignation. There was a long list of people, cardinals from around the

world who seemed like the top candidates. And of course, when Jorge Bergoglio, the cardinal from Buenos Aires, Argentina, was announced, many

people didn't even remember who he was.

So, I think we should be braced for surprises, regardless, whoever you see, and we see over the coming days, their names mentioned, brace yourself for

a surprise, Becky.

ANDERSON: Yes, absolutely, I remember that very well. And being in Roman reporting on this back in 2013 with you. I think there's an old adage, and

certainly this has been written up as part of a very nice piece on cnn.com. He who enters the conclave as pope leaves it as a cardinal.

WEDEMAN: Correct.

ANDERSON: -- those who are considered front runners for pope end up not getting the job. Ben is always good to have you. Thank you very much

indeed. And atmospheric St. Peter's Square. So, what happens then over the coming weeks? Jim Bittermann with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From St. Peter's Basilica to Notre Dame in Paris to Catholic churches around the

world, resounding bells brought the news.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dear brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow, I must announce the death of our Holy Father, Francis.

BITTERMANN (voice-over): Almost immediately, crowds began gathering to mourn, to pray and join together with fellow Catholics. The death of Pope

Francis started a timeline of Papal transition established over centuries. His funeral and then a nine-day mourning period known as Novemdiales.

During this time, the faithful will be able to travel to the Vatican to see the post body lying in state. When Pope John Paul the second passed away in

2005, hundreds of thousands, traveled to St. Peter's to pay their respects. Abbeys and convents sent representatives train loads of mourners came from

his native Poland.

Sometimes the lines to get into the Basilica were miles long. But as much as events will follow, as tradition demands, there will be changes. Pope

Francis said he didn't want to be buried in the crypts beneath St. Peter's, as most other popes have been, but in one of Rome's major churches.

LATE POPE FRANCIS, HEAD OF CATHOLIC CHURCH AND SOVEREIGN OF THE VATICAN CITY STATE: I want to be buried in Santa Maria Maggiore. I was gone there

on Sunday mornings when I was in Rome, there's a very strong connection.

BITTERMANN (voice-over): One tradition is certain to hold heads of state, heads of government and royalty from around the world will gather to honor

and remember Pope Francis, even some who perhaps didn't always agree with his teachings. After the funeral, the work of choosing a new pope begins as

cardinals from all over the world will arrive for the conclave.

It's an election process cloak in tradition and secrecy, conclave meaning with the key, the procedure by which the cardinals are locked away in the

Sistine Chapel to begin voting. Anyone violating the secrecy of the voting risks excommunication. Inconclusive ballots are burned with a chemical

which produces black smoke, but when the next pope is picked, another chemical is used, producing white smoke.

The signal to all that the spiritual head of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics has been chosen with the words echoing from St. Peter's balcony.

Habemus Papam Latin for we have a pope the way popes, including Pope Francis himself, have been introduced for centuries. Jim Bittermann, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, 7 days of mourning underway in Pope Francis, his home country of Argentina, emotional crowds gathered for a special mass on

Monday night at the pontiff's childhood Church. The Archbishop of Buenos Aires led the service that the San Jose de Flores Basilica at the church

where Pope Francis had the revelation which first led him to become a priest.

[09:10:00]

Cecilia Dominguez joins me now from Buenos Aires. And we're interested in a sense of the mood in Argentina this morning, if you will.

CECILIA DOMINGUEZ, CNN REPORTER: Good morning. Becky, how are you? We are working at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Buenos Aires. And the atmosphere

is filled with sadness and grief. Of course, we've seen faces with tears and also with smiles, because the atmosphere is also filled with joy and

with people wanting to share their experiences, their personal stories with Pope Francis.

Before becoming pope, he worked in Buenos Aires as a priest in very poor neighborhoods. So many people have so many stories to tell. This is the

entrance of the Metropolitan Cathedral in Buenos Aires. It was closed during the night, but it opened its doors very early this morning.

Many people brought candles, flowers, pictures, yesterday, and they kept doing it this morning. Today, there were two notebooks in the altar inside

the cathedral for people to sign and to write messages to say goodbye to Pope Francis. That's what they did today, because they want people to --

from the cathedral.

They want people to have the chance to say goodbye to the pope. The day today, in terms of the organization is going to be a little bit different.

Yesterday there were four masses. One of the masses yesterday was presided over the Archbishop of the City of Buenos Aires. Today there's going to be

-- there are going to be masses too.

They are going to be held in different during the day and also during the afternoon. And there's a special theme happening, a special moment

happening this afternoon, at 04:00 p.m. local time, which is nature, religious encounter. The Archbishop of the City of Buenos Aires told us

this morning that they are doing this to pray for Pope Francis, and after that, at 05:30 p.m. local time, there's going to be this special mask

presided by the Archbishop of the City of Buenos Aires.

So, Becky, as you can see, many people have been coming, gathering to say goodbye to Pope Francis, and also to pay their tribute, to pay their

respects and to honor his legacy in the cathedral of Buenos Aires.

ANDERSON: It's good to have you. Thank you very much indeed. That is the story in Buenos Aires. Well coming up, I covered Pope Francis's historic

visit to the UAE in 2019. The first time a pontiff ever came to the Arabian Peninsula. I was alongside Omar Ghobash now, the UAE Ambassador to the Holy

See.

Our conversation on the late pope's enduring legacy here in the UAE and across the Middle East, is next.

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[09:15:00]

ANDERSON: World leaders are paying tribute to Pope Francis, a man they remember as a beacon of compassion and hope. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: He was a good man. Worked hard, he loved the world, and it's an honor to do that.

SERGIO MATTARELLA, ITALIAN PRESIDENT: Alongside the grief for the death of Pope Francis, I feel, as I said this morning, a sense of emptiness, a sense

of the deprivation of a point of reference to which I looked. He conquered the world from the very first moment.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: Pope Francis compassion embraced all humanity, and today he will be mourned by Catholics and non-

Catholics alike.

CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM, MEXICAN PRESIDENT: So, it is a painful loss. May he rest in peace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, those are just some of the many condolences coming in, of course, from around the world, from the British Royal Family to the

Presidents of Ukraine, Kenya, Turkey, all speak of Pope Francis as a man who led the world Catholics with humility and love. And he set an example

for people of all religions.

Well, you are watching "Connect the World" from CNN's Middle East programming headquarters here in Abu Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson. Pope

Francis' passing is being felt across the Middle East, including here in the UAE, as you can see by the front page of the paper of note here the

national.

The late pope made an historic visit to Abu Dhabi in 2019 marking the first time a pontiff had visited the Arabian Peninsula. And I was fortunate to

cover the mass prayers that he led here for 100,000 worshipers with long time UAE diplomat, Omar Ghobash by my side. And here is what he told me

then.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OMAR GHOBASH, FORMER UAE AMBASSADOR TO FRANCE: Both political and the religious courage of all of those involved, from the pope to the leadership

of the Emirates and the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, who is essentially the head of the Sunni community globally, it's a remarkable step.

And I can, personally, I feel that there is a direct line from September 11 to today. And this is kind of an evolving story that is really, really

remarkable for all of us. You know, a lot of us who have lived and hope that you know things can -- we can actually engage with each other and

build a better Middle East and a better world for ourselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, Ghobash went on to become the UAE Ambassador to the Holy See, making his insights even more timely. He is in Rome today. And I spoke

with him earlier about how he is reflecting on that visit now, and how the story he described has evolved since then.

GHOBASH: To be honest, listening to what I said at the time, I thought perhaps I was predicting the future, but clearly, I'm fully aligned with

leadership plans. I did not know that we were going to sign a peace treaty with Israel a year later, and that was very much in line with the concept

of dialog, understanding and reaching out and connecting with others.

It was also the idea of working together to build peace. I did not know that we were going to establish the Abrahamic Family House, but that was

also established in 2022, 23. And again, very much in line with the thinking of you know of the arrival of the pope to the Arabian Peninsula to

the United Arab Emirates in 2019.

So, in fact, I think it's remarkable that leadership has managed to push through almost on a yearly basis with further reinforcement of that concept

of peace and peace through dialog. Again, when I was covering the event with you. I never expected to be named ambassador to the Vatican.

And I never expected to be attending at the funeral of a second pope, but that is what it is, and it's just a remarkable time and a remarkable place.

And I'm really privileged to be able to represent the UAE at the heart of Catholicism.

ANDERSON: Yeah, and I want to talk about the UAE's guiding principle in sort of tolerance and coexistence in a moment. Before we do that, in 2022,

you presented your credentials to Pope Francis, and he told you, and the other ambassadors in the room too.

[09:20:00]

And I quote here, never lose hope in your efforts to build a world where, quote, disagreements are resolved by peaceful means. And in his last public

appearance at the weekend on Sunday, he called for an end to the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. How are you reflecting on the pope's message of peace and

diplomacy today?

GHOBASH: One of the things that has occurred to me is that we in the Emirates are going to be very grateful for the pope's courage and boldness

in reaching out to us just as we reached out to him in 2019. That was not necessarily the most expected of moves

And yet, what he managed to do with the Grand Imam of Al Azhar and with his final ship, Mohammed bin Zayed, the President of the UAE, was to provide a

moral and intellectual framework through the documents that have been signed. To allow us to boldly push further on working through peace in the

region.

It kind of gave it much more of an international, global civilizational character than simple mediation or reconciliation efforts at the local

level. So that's something that's incredibly important, and we will inevitably be looking forward to continuity when the new pope is named.

ANDERSON: You alluded to the document, the human fraternity document, a joint declaration signed here during the pope's visit. A key symbol of that

is, of course, the Abrahamic Family House here in Abu Dhabi, where a mosque, a synagogue, a church and a secular pavilion stand sort of shoulder

to shoulder.

How do you keep progressing these values of tolerance, co-existence, fraternity, at a time of global political tension and frankly, division.

GHOBASH: A lot of people think that peace and co-existence and dialog can happen in a vacuum of good will. It isn't that simple. One of the things

that we have discovered over the last few decades is that you need the basis of security, law and order, strong government, clarity around inside

and outside.

And it's really, really important that you have that basis of security before you can start opening up and saying, OK, great, we are peaceful --

we're interested in economic development. You don't have the core foundation in place, it becomes much more difficult to actually allow for

that openness.

And let's say, you know, sort of promotion of the well-being of your own citizens and both of -- other countries.

ANDERSON: Pope Francis will be missed here in the UAE. He will be missed around the region. We've talked about the tour here. We've talked about the

Abrahamic Family House, the establishing of the desire award on the back of the human fraternity document, awarding those whose work around the world

really sort of reflects the values of that joint declaration signed here.

As a final reflection, what do you see as the pope's most enduring legacy across the Middle East, Omar?

GHOBASH: I remember when we were covering together his visit to the UAE, there was a pop star quality to him. He was a rock star. And there was

something very, very beautiful about the way in which he engaged with all. Nobody felt excluded, Muslim or Christian or Jew, as far as I could tell.

Another, something very beautiful. And I think that there's a great deal that we could actually learn from his stance. And the fact that he opened

up to us and responded to our outreach to him was something again, which was truly beautiful. It showed that you could be true to your faith, you

could be true to your values, you could -- and yet you could actually also reach out and recognize the dignity of other human beings.

And that's something that is core to the human fraternity document. It is a recognition of universal human dignity. And it's something that, you know,

we should always keep in mind. We should always recognize the dignity of others around us. So that's -- I think that's the -- for me the most

important legacy that he -- will have with us.

ANDERSON: Omar Ghobash, speaking to me earlier. Well, Iran is offering the U.S., a chance to play a role in its nuclear energy program. The Iranian

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi suggests that U.S. companies could benefit from the tens of billions of dollars in potential contracts.

[09:25:00]

And I quote him here, he says any expansion of nuclear capacity would be coupled with quote, robust monitoring and verification to ensure it's used

for peaceful purposes. Well, the latest round of what are in direct talks between the two countries is expected to start on Wednesday.

Let's get you up to speed on some of the other stories that are on our radar right now. An U.S. pharmacy chain Walgreens has agreed to pay up to

$350 million in a settlement with the Justice Department. Now the company is accused of knowingly filling millions of illegal prescriptions for

opioids and other controlled substances that was between 2012 and 2023.

Walgreens denies the accusation and doesn't admit liability. Harvard University is suing the Trump Administration over academic freedom, frozen

federal funding and campus oversight. Last week, the university rejected a list of demands that Trump officials argue will fight antisemitism.

Harvard says it is committed to fighting antisemitism and accuses the administration of trying to gain quote, leverage over the school. Vladimir

Putin says he is open to direct talks with Ukraine for the first time since Russia's invasion three years ago. It comes as U.S., European and Ukrainian

officials due to meet in London this week.

Washington has warned that it could abandon its efforts towards ending the conflict, if progress isn't made towards securing a peace deal. Right,

coming up, we are just moments away from the opening of U.S. markets and investors feeling more uncertainty as Donald Trump ratchets up threats

against the fed will head to Wall Street see how markets react at the start of the trading day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: All right, we are 30 seconds away from the opening of the market, and this is the indication that we are that close. This is the opening bell

on Wall Street.

[09:30:00]

And that is the crew from GE Vernova today, ring in the opening of these markets. So, who knows what will happen today? Well, if you take an

indication from the futures market, it looks as if we may see a slightly higher opening. We will let those markets settle for just a moment.

Certainly, the DOW looks as if it is out of the gate up some 1 percent, ignore the NASDAQ. I am absolutely convinced that that isn't a live number,

but I may be wrong. So, ignore that for the time being. There you go, the NASDAQ up 1.25 and the S&P 500 up 1 percent, but the markets were miserable

yesterday.

And when I use the term miserable, I mean if you were hoping or invested in these markets and hoping that they were going to go higher, well they

didn't. It was a miserable day. So perhaps a bit of a jump off the back of what happened yesterday. Meantime, gold surged to a record high today.

And today -- well, it was actually yesterday. It got to 3500 it is off, but I mean, once again, moving higher, trading down just slightly off that high

made yesterday right now. That jump came on the heels of President Trump, once again threatening to fire Jerome Powell, the Chair of the Federal

Reserve, for not lowering interest rates.

Well, I'm absolutely delighted that CNN's Business Editor-at-large, has been on the move this week and has made his way to Abu Dhabi, and he's

joining me now. Richard Quest is in the house.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE: Hello, forgive the lack of --

ANDERSON: I said to you earlier on, you look very -- You said, what is that?

QUEST: That's --

ANDERSON: I don't really know.

QUEST: Right.

ANDERSON: Listen, the DOW shed almost of 1000 points, Monday. It's headed for its worst performance in April since 1932. The S&P 500's performance

since inauguration has been miserable. Gold, however --

QUEST: -- reasonable, I've never been a gold bug, one of these people who love it, but once you look at the traditional theory and the orthodoxy of

gold, which is the ultimate safe haven, since this I can't remember the exact number. There's only been as much gold mine as will fit into X100

Olympic sized swimming pools.

Then you start to see the scarcity of the metal means it's got value. People put value on it. So, I would expect gold to remain in the sea of

uncertainty, the absolute the -- because the other haven U.S. treasuries now have a bit of a dodge over it.

ANDERSON: And isn't that interesting? Because anybody who tells you that they know or can see what will happen next in these markets is lying,

because we don't. And you and I have been doing this long enough to know what we expected when we saw these markets really having a miserable time

these equity markets.

QUEST: Right.

ANDERSON: So, we would expect to the bond prices to go higher, and they didn't -

QUEST: Right. But you see the point about what you exactly, what you just said, is that what's happening in the market is divorce from economic

fundamentals because it's related to whether or not the president tweets about Jerome Powell being an absolute loser. Now, as long as the president

has the ability to just tweak one way or the other with a social media message, and then shift the market.

Then, now, there will come a point when the economic fundamentals are so distressed by tariffs and other things that the fundamentals and the

reality do come together. And we're not that far off that at the moment. But so far, this market is not in any sense reality based.

ANDERSON: One of the things I've been really interested in, and I'm convinced the Trump Administration weren't ready for this, is the impact

that all of what's been going on over the last, what 2.5 months is having on the reputation of U.S. assets?

QUEST: I don't think that's fully got home yet to them. I think they are still high on the euphoria of getting their 10 percent -- which is what

Donald Trump has always said. Those of more sober mind are absolutely saying to the president, hang on, be careful here. You're playing with fire

if you mess with the bond market.

And the bond market is the way that's giving that -- the bond market is the ultimate canary in the mine for real troubles. But you are absolutely

right, the questioning over the solidity of democracy, rule of law, capital markets, things we never thought we would be saying. And let's put it

another way.

What if he does play around with the ceiling, the debt ceiling? What if he does just to tweak something and it goes wrong. These are things we never

thought we would be happening, but they are now.

ANDERSON: Richard Quest is in the house. Always good to have it was good to see you.

QUEST: Thank you. Thank you very much.

ANDERSON: Well, the White House standing by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after reports that he shared sensitive military plans in a second Signal

chat.

[09:35:00]

Now the White House deny reports that it is looking to replace Mr. Hegseth. This is after sources say he shared detailed plans about strikes in Yemen

in a group chat that included his brother and his wife. Now Hegseth responded by blaming, quote, disgruntled employees, while the White House

Press Secretary says that the president has full faith in his defense secretary.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE HEGSETH, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: This is what the media does. They take anonymous sources from disgruntled former employees, and then they try

to slash and burn people and ruin their reputation.

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president stands strongly behind Secretary Hegseth, who is doing a phenomenal job leading

the Pentagon. And this is what happens when the entire Pentagon is working against you and working against the monumental change that you are trying

to implement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well Mark Preston joins us from Washington with more. What more are you hearing about what's going on behind closed doors?

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, Becky, we just heard the Secretary of Defense yesterday defend himself. Karoline Leavitt came out,

defended him as well. Well, just a short time ago, Pete Hegseth went on the Rupert Murdoch owned Fox News and defended himself again.

He claimed that these are disgruntled employees again. He reiterated that he talked about how people within the Pentagon are trying to stop him from

getting things done. In fact, he almost compared himself to Donald Trump. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HEGSETH: They have come after me from day one, just like they have come after President Trump. I have gotten a fraction of what President Trump got

in that first term. What he has endured is super human. It's not hard for me to do this job. I know exactly why I'm here to bring war fighting and

the war fighting ethos back to the Pentagon, to rip out the insidious ideologies and not compromise and not back down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PRESTON: So, what's interesting about that is not that he came out and is blaming other people for it, taking no any responsibility himself, but in

that statement, he was very careful to note that he is under the same attacks from the liberal media he claims as Donald Trump is.

That message is being sent right back to Donald Trump, because Pete Hegseth does not want to get removed from his position.

ANDERSON: Does he continue to have the support of Republicans on the Hill.

PRESTON: Well, he does right now, one congressman has come out and expressed criticism, dissatisfaction with what he has seen unfold over the

past month. But Hegseth is very lucky. Hegseth is lucky that the United States Senate and the United States House are not in Washington this week.

Had they been in Washington, you would have seen all types of reporters going up to senators and trying to get them to talk about Pete Hegseth. He

also was very lucky that the pope has passed away. It has shifted the attention of the American media towards the pope, although I will say this

is a story that has legs, and it is not going away.

ANDERSON: Yeah, interesting stuff. And it's interesting that you say this is a story that has legs. Watch this space. It's good to have you sir.

Thank you very much indeed. And we will be back after this quick break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:40:00]

ANDERSON: Well, for those who are in Rome and lucky enough to spend some time at St. Peters Square today, there must be an -- it's an important day,

and there must be quite a sense of feeling the pope's death has been sensed around the world, a man that many world leaders remember as a beacon of

compassion and hope.

His funeral now is on Saturday, and then, of course, the process of choosing a new pope will begin. That is the view on a beautiful day there

in Vatican City. We are seeing a heartfelt tribute to Pope Francis from his beloved football team, San Lorenzo. Pope Francis was a lifelong supporter

of the Top Flight Argentina club whose fans are nicknamed Los Cuervos, meaning the crows.

Well team posted this message, translated as he was never just one of us, but always one of us. Cuervo as a child and as a man. Cuervo as a priest

and Cardinal. Cuervo as pope too. San Lorenzo goes on to say, swept away in deep sorry, goodbye, thank you. We will be together for eternity.

And "World Sport" is up next. I'll be back in 15 minutes with the second hour of "Connect the World".

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[09:45:00]

(WORLD SPORT)

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