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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

Pope Francis Lying In State At St. Peter's Basilica; Musk Signals Downsized Government Role, Return To Tesla; Thousands Ordered To Leave Their Homes As Wildfire Explores In New Jersey. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired April 23, 2025 - 05:30   ET

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

[05:30:00]

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: That were said and the sense that Francis is being prepared for his final farewell at this moment now is a chance for people to pay their respects ahead of the funeral on Saturday.

I thought it was remarkable for us to see the pope being carried by those people who worked closely with him in that open coffin -- open casket -- and laid out in the traditional way but with some differences, wearing the ring of the bishop -- when he was the bishop in Buenos Aires.

ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR: (INAUDIBLE).

LAMB: And this is what Francis wanted. He wanted a sense of simplicity to his final farewell -- to his funeral and burial rites because he's not going to be buried in St. Peter's but in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, which he was very fond of and he used to visit their many times. So breaking with tradition a little bit but also trying to insist on the sort of the earlier traditions of the church as well of simplicity.

SOARES: It's wonderful breaking tradition in life as he -- as he -- as he's doing now in death.

And the procession was historic, like you said, that so many of those who worked with him could be part of this, not just those who were watching who were there in the crowd at St. Peter's Square but those who knew him and who worked with him at the Vatican.

And you saw this with your own eyes yesterday when you had a private visitation at Santa Marta. You saw the pope's body. Those who worked with him also paying their respects. Just speak to that, first of all.

LAMB: Yes. Well, I basically showed my press pass and was able to queue up with others to see the pope in the Santa Marta in the chapel there. It was a very emotional and moving experience. Of course, I've written about Francis and covered this papacy and broadcast on it for a long time. And so seeing him there for what will be the final time is -- was very moving and powerful. And people gathering quietly, sitting in the chapel, going up to the coffin and going up to pay their last respects -- and very powerful, really.

SOARES: And now what we're likely to see as we look at these live images -- and apologies -- it's quite sunny in trying to see them -- we are going to see I imagine just a steady flow of people paying their respects to the pope -- to Pope Francis as he lies in state until the funeral on Saturday. We are starting to see -- get a better sense of how that is going to work out and who is attending.

And today, as we saw the procession -- and you spoke to this, Christopher -- we're already seeing some bishops and cardinals as well who have started to arrive --

LAMB: Yes, it was --

SOARES: -- for this.

LAMB: Yes. It was clear from looking at the cardinals who were there this morning that a number have come into Rome.

SOARES: Yeah.

LAMB: And, of course, they are going to be here for the funeral and then the conclave. Of course, the main job description of a cardinal is to vote for a pope, so they are all required --

SOARES: Yeah.

LAMB: -- those who can vote who are under the age of 80, to be in Rome to cast their vote.

SOARES: And I'm hearing reports -- I mean, there are reports that there's a row already brewing over a specific cardinal. Can you -- what can you share with us on that?

LAMB: Well, what we're hearing is that Cardinal Becciu, who was one of the most powerful figures in the Vatican for a number of years but was, in 2023, convicted of financial misconduct -- financial crimes by a Vatican court.

The pope removed is privileges as a cardinal and he is listed as a non-elector. However, the Cardinal Becciu was saying that he wants to go into the conclave and vote.

So there's potential standoff here which -- well, let's see how things develop. It will be up to I would have thought by the Cardinal Parolin who is the most senior cardinal overseeing the conclave procedures, or the cardinal dean -- the Dean of the College of Cardinals -- the people who watched "Conclave" will know about that role -- what they will decide to do.

SOARES: And if you are screaming at your TV and saying, "Isn't that like "Conclave" -- you know, the politicking -- in this case, potential financial fraud -- very different but yes, that's exactly what we're starting to see.

Christopher Lamb, thank you very much indeed. We're going to take a short break. We'll be back with much more after this.

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:39:33]

SOARES: Welcome back everyone. You have been looking at -- you're looking this hour at live pictures from inside St. Peter's Basilica where Pope Francis has been lying in state for the last 39 minute or so and where he'll be lying in state until his funeral on Saturday morning.

[05:40:00]

Prior to this we saw a really moving procession where those who knew the pope best -- who worked with him inside the Vatican -- carried him on their shoulders making their way up the stairs -- St. Peter's Basilica stairs and into St. Peter's Basilica where he will lie in state. Incredibly moving.

Now is the chance for those members of the public to come in and pay their final respects and show, really, their gratitude -- which is something I've been hearing since I've arrived here -- to a pope many call the "Pope of the People."

Father Jim Sichko is a papal missionary of mercy in the Diocese of Lexington in Kentucky, and he joins me now.

And Father, you know, I can see just -- in fact, I'd ask my team to put the font -- the banner down for a moment because I can see in the corner of my eye and image -- there we go -- of yourself with Pope Francis who I know you have met on a number of occasions -- even, you know, giving him -- gifting my bourbon from Kentucky.

How will you remember him?

FATHER JIM SICHKO, PAPAL MISSIONARY OF MERCY, DIOCESE OF LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY: I will remember him a pastor with a shepherd's heart. I know he was a bridge builder. He was really very authentic, very moving, very kind. One who opened himself to all people and really one who believed that we had to live the church out into the world.

SOARES: And I think in many ways that's through the symbolism we've seen today and the procession. That is what we have seen. You know, he often said "todos, todos, todos" -- "everyone, everyone, everyone."

SICHKO: Oh, everyone, everyone, yes.

SOARES: And that is -- right? And that is so him. And that's what we saw today as he came out from the chapel in casa Santa Marta making his way past the flock and then into the church. There's a poetic nature to this but that speaks so much of Pope Francis.

SICHKO: Yes. You know, it's really not rocket science. He just shared with people just go and live the gospel, you know? Practice loving a difficult person. Try forgiving someone. Give away some money. Tell someone thank you. Encourage a friend. Bless an enemy. Say I'm sorry. Get back to church. Be evangelized. Live the gospel. That was who he was, you know?

And even every time I was in his presence, he always welcomed me -- always -- you know, always ended every visit with "Pray for me," you know? Pray for me --

SOARES: Yeah.

SICHKO: -- that I -- that he may continue to do the good work that he was called to do.

SOARES: And that pastoral element, Father, it's -- you know, I was having a discussion with a correspondent earlier and this is something that resonated even if -- even if you were not a Christian, if you're not a Catholic in every corner of the world -- that speaking truth. That common sense that you're speaking of, Father.

SICHKO: Well that's because we all hurt. We all have been broken, and we need God's mercy. We need his forgiveness.

And Pope Francis believed that through out own sinfulness we know that there is one who is with us, and that is God our Father. That we need him. And instead of pushing people away we should be embracing them and sharing with them God's mercy, and God's love, and God's forgiveness, and God's healing. And that really is the root of the gospel and that's what he believed, and that's what -- not only did he believe, he showed it, he lived it, and that's a beautiful thing.

SOARES: I wonder then as we look -- he's going to be lying in state until Saturday, of course. That's when his funeral will take place. Then we have a period where the cardinals -- many already starting to arrive -- will start thinking about conclave and who the next pope will be -- the head of the Catholic Church or the 1.4 billion people.

What direction, Father, do you think the church will take? That pastoral nature, that openness, that common sense. Do you think we will go down that route and keep the progressive nature or do you think that the church will take a different turn?

[05:45:00]

SICHKO: Well, one of the things I've learned is that just as Pope Francis was a pope, or a man of surprises so do I find the holy spirit -- the holy spirit. Anyone trying to figure out how the holy spirit is going to guide these men is basically going to come up a loser because the holy spirit, as we know, is one of surprises.

It is my hope that we will never lose the focus of the gospel, which is the heart of Christ, which is the heart of love, which is mercy and kindness and justice for all people. To remember that the least among us is really the greatest among us. That our church is a field hospital and whenever we forget that we're in trouble.

SOARES: We're definitely certainly much poorer for it. That is for certain.

SICHKO: Yeah, yeah.

SOARES: Father Jim, thank you so much, Father, for taking the time to speak to us. Thank you, sir.

SICHKO: Thank you.

SOARES: We're going to take a short break and we'll be back with much more after this.

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:50:30]

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. I'm Rahel Solomon, and here are some of the stories we are watching for you this morning.

Pope Francis is lying in state at St. Peter's Basilica and the public is now being allowed to visit and pay their respects. The doors to St. Peter's will remain mostly open until Saturday. That's when the pope is laid to rest and nine days of mourning begin.

Indian security forces are searching for the gunman behind a deadly attack on tourists in the Himalayan region of Jammu and Kashmir. At least 26 people were killed and a dozen wounded on Tuesday, most of them travelers. A little known militant group called the Resistance Front claim responsibility for the attack.

A Ukrainian military official says that the number of casualties is growing after Russian drone attacks overnight. Take a look at these buildings that were torched in Kharkiv, while at least nine people were killed in Marhanets. Officials say that even more lives were lost in additional Russian attacks across the country.

All right, turning it -- turning and looking at markets now. A rebound in Wall Street after the U.S. Treasury secretary tells investors that the trade war between the U.S. and China is unsustainable and that he expects a de-escalation. Those remarks prompting U.S. stocks to surge between 1.5, at least right now -- futures -- early, but still 1.6, let's call it, to 2.4 for the Nasdaq. All three major indexes also closed up at least 2 1/2 percent helping recover the market losses from the sell-off on Monday.

U.S. President Donald Trump also saying that he wasn't going to play hardball with China and that he thinks the two countries can make a deal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm not going to say "Oh, I'm going to play hard ball with China. I'm going to play hardball with you, President Xi." No, no. We're going to be very nice, they're going to be very nice, and we'll see what happens. But ultimately, they have to make a deal because otherwise they're not going to be able to deal in the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: The International Monetary Fund, meantime, predicting that Trump's tariffs and countermeasures from U.S. trading partners will hit economic growth worldwide. It now projects the global growth to reach 2.8 percent this year, down from the January forecast of 3.3 percent. And the IMF expects the U.S. to see a significant slowdown. Its growth forecast for the year is now at 1.8 percent, down nearly one percentage point from just the January projection.

Elon Musk says that he plans to scale back on his White House commitments and will return to Tesla after a painful set of results for the automaker. In the first quarter, Tesla's total revenue was down nine percent with auto revenue down 20 percent. Adjusted income also tumbled nearly 40 percent.

His controversial work on government cost-cutting has been blamed for the slide in profits. It has prompted protests outside of showrooms and vandalism against cars and facilities. But Musk says that he will continue to advise President Trump if he is asked.

And the head of "60 MINUTES" is out. Executive producer Bill Owens telling his staff, "I am stepping aside so that the show can move forward" -- suggesting that the show's independence has been compromised, saying, "Over the past months, it has become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I always run it."

Now, the move follows an ongoing $20 billion legal fight between CBS and the Trump administration over an interview last fall with Vice President Kamala Harris. The president argued that it was deceptively edited.

Now, the lawsuit comes at a time when CBS' parent company Paramount Global wants to merge with Skydance media. That kind of merger would require the approval of the Trump administration.

A fast-moving wildfire in New Jersey has ripped through 8,500 hundred acres forcing more than 3,000 people to flee their homes. Power outages have impacted tens of thousands of people, and parts of the Garden State Highway have been closed. The local fire service says that the fires started in Ocean County Tuesday morning and right now it's just 10 percent contained.

Thick, black clouds in the sky also prompted a public heath advisory. An official says that no injuries have been reported, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

All right. And coming up for us we will head back to the Vatican. Pope Francis is lying in state at St. Peter's Basilica. Our coverage continues in just a moment with Isa Soares. We'll be right back.

[05:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL) SOARES: And as I wrap up this morning, I want to leave you with live pictures from the Vatican inside St. Peter's Basilica. That's where Pope Francis is lying in state now. Long lines of mourners paying their respects. Crowds, as you can see, starting to file past his open coffin. And he'll be laying in state at St. Peter's Basilica until Saturday when his funeral will take place.

Italy has in the last few moments declared five days of mourning.