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CNN Live Event/Special
Pope Francis Funeral Mass At The Vatican. Aired 4-5a ET
Aired April 26, 2025 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:00:00]
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: We're seeing leaders from indigenous groups from a number of places around the world as well. This was a Pope who reached out to so many, so many different people from so many --
CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Particularly indigenous groups in the Amazon, and of course, went to Canada and apologized to indigenous who have been abused in residential schools there.
COOPER: I don't know that I have been in a grouping of hundred, so many people that is so silent.
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So silent, so orderly. Everyone waiting any moment now.
COOPER: President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, as well. They were inside the Basilica. Now looks like they are heading to their seats, as well as the funeral mass for Pope Francis is about to begin historically.
We're told that that world -- also the world leaders, are to be seated alphabetically, based on French.
WARD: Based on French, and --
COOPER: The French spelling.
WARD: The French spelling, which means probably President Trump will not be sitting near President Zelenskyy, as would have been the case if it was the English spelling.
LAMB: And of course, it's worth --
COOPER: There is President Zelenskyy --
WARD: There is President Zelenskyy. Now --
COOPER: And -- wow, his image has been shown on monitor in and that's why you hear people actually applauding now. They're applauding President Zelenskyy when he appeared on some of the jumbotrons, most of the people who are here in St. Peter's Square who are standing in the crowd can't actually see President Zelenskyy, but there's a number of jumbotrons positioned throughout the square, and that's what that applause was. LAMB: And at a certain point, everyone be asked to make a sign of
peace, including the world leaders.
COOPER: So inside now, those are the cardinals, are they not?
LAMB: That's right. The cardinals are now starting to process from St. Peters out into the Square. They're taking a moment to pause in front of Francis's coffin for one last time.
COOPER: Let's listen inside St. Peter, inside the Basilica. I'm not sure what we can hear, but let's listen in. Pique is also joining us here in Rome. She has known this Pope for more than 25 years. Elisabetta, thanks for being with us. What are your thoughts this morning as you watch the beginning of the funeral for this man who you knew very well.
ELISABETTA PIQUE, CNN VATICAN ANALYST: It's quite really moving, really very moving, because, yes, I knew him when he didn't imagine that he would become Pope and well, and then -- I -- so I knew also -- I saw him before entering the 2013 conclave. I remember, well, Elisabetta, I call you in two days when is your birthday, 15 of March. And then, well, he called me the day after when he was elected. And he has been calling me all the -- all my birthdays, March 15, you know, the only -- I knew that he -- he was -- he was going to die, that he was -- he's not -- he was not in good form, because this -- the only birthday that he means was this year.
So anyway, I was in contact until the end. And so it's a very moving but I'm really happy and relieved that, because he really deserves this farewell with all these people, his people, and also, you know, well, it will be there the Argentinian President Javier Milei, that everybody knows, this libertarian president, that he used to speak very bad about him and his, the evil, et cetera.
But then when he came to see him, the Pope would go beyond the difference and the -- and he embraced him like a son and he immediately tried to put aside whichever difference, saying, did you cut your hair when they met? And he said, sorry. He asked sorry. He will be there in the front row, but there will be a lot of other Argentinian there --
COOPER: Elisabetta, I want to explain to our viewers what is happening. I want to explain to our viewers
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why people are applauding. The crowd has just seen now on the Jumbotron, the casket of Pope Francis. It is now being moved from the dais on which it was slowly coming out of, soon to emerge outside of St. Peter's Basilica. Christopher Lamb, could you just explain who it is who is carrying the casket?
LAMB: The people known as the Gentleman of His Holiness; they are holding a kind of assistant role in the papal apartments. They help the Pope greet world leaders, and they have this ceremonial role, and they are carrying the coffin. Now, I think it's very moving to see the cardinals finding a line of precision for the Pope's casket. I think that's very powerful to see the cardinals line up like that to pay their farewell to Francis. Obviously appointed many of the cardinals who are there today, particularly the voting cardinals, but it's quite a powerful sight to see this.
COOPER: And there's complete silence in this crowd, you can hear a helicopter overhead, but as people watch on the monitors, Pope Francis's body being brought soon out of the Basilica.
LAMB: It's like a Guard of Honor that they're forming for him, which is very significant.
COOPER: The coffin is different than for other popes. Other popes, of course, as you pointed out earlier, were actually in three --
WARD: Three coffins nested inside each other when those were, popes were lying in state, they were on a pedestal. Pope Francis did not want to be on a pedestal. He elected to be in a single, simple coffin made of wood, lined with zinc. And you're seeing now is that coffin is being brought closer and closer to the square, and you can feel the anticipation as people wait for their first glimpse. Some have been waiting for many, many hours.
COOPER: The tomb that Pope Francis had planned for has already been assembled. Let's listen in.
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LAMB: We've just seen a Book of the Gospels placed on Pope Francis's coffin. You can see it open there. Of course, the Gospels are account of the teachings and life of Jesus Christ and Pope Francis throughout his life, and as Pope sought to follow those teachings, and for many people, he sought to better connect the church to those teachings through his simplicity, his poverty and his service to the most marginalized.
Number of the cardinals processing in, they are taking their place around the altar. As I mentioned, Cardinal Re will preside, but all the cardinals will be celebrating with the other priests and bishops. So although there will be a cardinal presiding, all those clergy present will be participating in the celebration. And of course, every member of the faithful and in the St. Peter's Basilica is also participating, according to Catholic understanding of the liturgy, everyone participates in this celebration.
COOPER: We'll also soon see the, the sensing the altar, which is designating that this is a holy place and a symbol of prayer, representing prayers rising to God
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signifying purification.
LAMB: That's right at the beginning of every mass, or not every mass, but most masses, there is an in sensing of the altar, and it goes back to the psalm, which says, let my prayer rise before you like incense. So it's a symbol of the holy, symbol of the prayer that is about to take place. Of course, the mass is basically a prayer, and that is what is taking place during this service.
COOPER: And Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re. He's the Dean of the College of Cardinals. He will be speaking.
LAMB: Yes, he will be the one presiding. He's the dean, the most senior cardinal. He's 91 years of age. Pope Francis extended his term, so he will be dean and preside at this funeral.
So the choir have been chanting the Entrance Antiphon and as is normal for any mass, for someone who's died, they are chanting the words, eternal rest, grant unto him, let perpetual light shine upon him. And that is what they've been chanting for Pope Francis. That's the prayer that is being said at this time.
CARDINAL GIOVANNI BATTISTA RE, DEAN OF THE COLLEGE OF CARDINALS: I acknowledge our sins and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries. I confess to Almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters that I have greatly sinned in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do through my fault, through my fault, through my
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most grievous fault, therefore I ask Blessed Mary, ever virgin, all the angels and saints and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God. May Almighty God have mercy upon us, forgive us our sins and bring us to everlasting life. Lord, have Mercy.
Let us pray. O God, immortal shepherd of souls, look on your people's prayers and grant that your servant, Pope Francis, who presided over your church in charity may, with the flock entrusted to his care, receive from your mercy the reward of a faithful steward through our Lord Jesus Christ, your son who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit God, forever and ever. Amen.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A reading from the Acts of the Apostles. In those days, Peter opened his mouth and said, truly, I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation
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anyone who fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him as for the word that He sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ, He is Lord of all. You yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee, after the baptism that John proclaimed, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him, and we are witnesses of all that He did, both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem, they put Him to death by hanging Him on a tree, but God raised Him on the third day, and caused Him to appear not to all people, but to us, who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with Him after he rose from the dead, and He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that He is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.
To Him, all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Philippians. Brothers and sisters, our citizenship is in heaven, and from it, we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. Therefore my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown stand firm thus In the Lord, My beloved. Word of the Lord.
WARD: So we're about to hear The Gospel, which will be from the Gospel of John. And it is really the mandate that Catholics believe Jesus gave to the first pope, Simon Peter. We're going to hear about Jesus saying to Peter, Simon, Son of John, do you love me more than the Simon Peter, Son of John, do you love Me more than these, said, yes, I do Feed my lambs. Feed my sheep to that ministry that the St. Peter did. Also we're going to hear about when Jesus says to Peter, when you are young, you used to dress yourself, but when you were older, you had to be dressed by someone else, and they carried you.
So that sort of youth to old age that we saw with Pope Francis, that frailty and vulnerability that you went through.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Said Simon Peter. Simon, Son of John, do you love me more than these? He said to him, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. He said to him, feed my lambs, he said to him, a second time, Simon, Son of John, Son of John. Do you love me? He said to him, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. He said to him, tend my sheep. He said to him, he said to him the third time, Simon, Son of John, do you love me? Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, do you love me? And he said to him, Lord, you know everything, you know that I love you. Jesus said to him, feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted.
But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go. This, he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God. And after saying this, he said to him, follow me. The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
COOPER: Next will be the homily Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re.
LAMB: That's right, we've just had that powerful gospel that really reflects the papal ministry, the commission from Jesus to Peter, who Catholics. He is the first pope to feed my lambs, to be the shepherd of the church, and of course, a reference that we can read into the way that Pope Francis embraced his frailty and vulnerability in old age, where it said that here that when you're old, you will need to be helped. Pope Francis was unafraid to have that help from people. Now we are going to have the sermon, the homily from Cardinal Re, the Dean of the College of Cardinals.
RE: So many times and presided over great gatherings over the past 12 years, we are gathered with sad hearts and prayer around his mortal remains, yet we are sustained by the certainty of faith, which assures us that human existence does not end in the tomb, but in our Father's house, in a life of happiness that will know no end.
On behalf of the College of Cardinals, I cordially thank all of you for your presence. With deep emotion, I extend respectful greetings and heartfelt thanks to the many heads of state, heads of government and official delegations who have come from many
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countries to express their affection, veneration and esteem for our late Holy Father. The outpouring of affection that we have witnessed in recent days follow his passing from this earth into eternity, tells us how much the profound pontificate of Pope Francis touched minds and hearts.
The final image we have of him, which will remain etched in our memory, is that of last Sunday, Easter Sunday, when Pope Francis, despite his serious health problems, wanted to give us his blessing from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica. He then came down to this Square to greet a large crowd gathered for the Easter mass while riding in the open top Pope (ph).
With our prayers, we now entrust the soul of our beloved pontiff to God that He may grant him eternal happiness in the bright and glorious gaze of his immense love. We are enlightened and guided by the passage of the gospel in which the very voice of Christ resounded, asking the first of the apostles, Peter, Peter, Peter, do you love me more than these? Peter's answer was prompt and sincere, Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.
Jesus then entrusted him with the great mission, feed my sheep. This will be the constant task of Peter and his successors, a service of love in the footsteps of Christ, our Master and Lord, who despite his frailty and suffering towards the end, Pope Francis chose to follow this path of self-giving until the last day of his earthly life. He followed in the footsteps of his Lord, the Good Shepherd, who loved his sheep to the point of giving for them his entire life, and he did so with strength and serenity, close to his flock, the Church of God.
When Cardinal Bergoglio on the 13th of March, 2013 was elected by the Conclave to succeed Pope Benedict the 16th, he already had many years of experience in religious life in the Society of Jesus, and above all, was enriched by 21 years of pastoral ministry in the Arch Diocese of Buenos Aires, first as auxiliary, then as coadjutor, and above all, as Archbishop.
The decision to take the name, Francis, immediately appeared to indicate the pastoral plan and the style on which he wanted to base his pontificate. Seeking inspiration from the Spirit of St. Francis of Assisi. Pope Francis maintained his temperament and form of pastoral
leadership, and through his resolute personality immediately made his mark on the governance of the church. He established direct contact with individuals and peoples eager to be close to everyone
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with a marked attention to those in difficulty, giving himself without measure, especially to the marginalized. He was a Pope among the people with an open heart towards everyone. He was also a Pope attentive to the signs of the times and what was happening in society and what the Holy Spirit was awakening in the church.
With his characteristic vocabulary and language, rich in images and metaphors, he always sought to shed the light of the problems of our time with the wisdom of the Gospel. He did so by offering a response, encouraged by the light of faith, and encouraging us to live as Christians amid the challenges and contradictions in recent years, which he loved to describe as an epochal change. He had great spontaneity and an informal way of addressing everyone, even those far from the church.
Rich in human warmth and deeply sensitive to today's challenges. Pope Francis truly shared the anxieties, sufferings and hopes of this time of ours, and he gave himself by comforting and encouraging us with a message capable of reaching people's hearts in a direct and immediate way.
His charisma of welcoming and listening combined with a manner of behavior in keeping with today's sensitivities, touched hearts and sought to reawaken moral and spiritual sensibilities. Evangelization was the guiding principle of his pontificate. With a clear missionary vision, he spread the joy of the Gospel, which was the title of his first apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium.
It is a joy that fills the hearts of all those who entrust themselves to God with confidence and hope. The guiding thread of his mission was also the conviction that the church is a home for all, a home with its doors always open.
He often used the image of the Christ as a field hospital after a battle in which many were wounded, a church determined to take care of the problems of people and the great anxieties that tear the contemporary world apart. A church capable of bending down to every person, regardless of their beliefs or condition, and healing their wounds.
His gestures and exhortations in favor of refugees and displaced persons are countless. His insistence on working on behalf of the poor was constant. It is significant that Pope Francis first journey was to Lampedusa, an island that symbolizes the tragedy of emigration, with thousands of people drowning at sea.
In the same vein was his trip to Lesbos, together with the ecumenical patriot and the Archbishop of Athens as well as the celebration of a mass [04:50:00]
on the border between Mexico and the United States during his journey to Mexico. Of his 47 arduous apostolic journeys, the one to Iraq in 2021 defying every risk will remain particularly memorable. That difficult apostolic journey was a (inaudible) to the open wounds of the Iraqi people who had suffered so much from the inhuman actions of ISIS. It was also an important trip for inter-religious dialogue, another significant dimension of his pastoral work.
With his 2024 apostolic journey to four countries in Asia, Oceania, the Pope reached quote, the most peripheral periphery of the world. Unquote. Pope Francis always placed the Gospel of Mercy at the center, repeating -- repeatedly emphasizes that God never tires of forgiving us. He always forgives whatever the situation might be of the person who asks for forgiveness and returns to the right parts. He called for the extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy in order to highlight that mercy is the heart of the Gospel. Mercy and joy of the Gospel are two keywords for Pope Francis.
In contrast to what he called, quote, the culture of waste, unquote. He spoke of the culture of encounter and that of solidarity. The theme of fraternity ran through his entire pontificate with vibrant tones. In his encyclical letter, Fratelli tutti, he wanted to revive a worldwide aspiration to fraternity, because we are all children of the same Father who is in heaven. Forcefully, he often reminded us that we all belong to the same human family and that nobody can save himself alone.
In 2019, during his trip to the United Arab Emirates, Pope Francis signed a document on the human fraternity for world peace and living together, recalling the common Fatherhood of God, addressing men and women throughout the world. Un his encyclical letter, Laudato si, he drew attention to our duties and our shared responsibility for our common home, faced with the raging wars of recent years with their inhuman horrors and countless deaths and destruction.
Pope Francis incessantly raised his voice, imploring peace and calling for -- and calling for reason and urging honest negotiation to find possible solutions because war, he said
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only results in the death of people, the destruction of homes, hospitals and schools. War always leaves the world worse than it was before. It is always a painful and tragic defeat for everyone.
Build bridges, not walls, was an exhortation he repeated many times and his service of faith a successor of the Apostle Peter was always linked to the service of humanity in all its dimensions. Spiritually united with all of Christianity. We are here in large numbers to pray for Pope Francis that God may welcome him into the immensity of his life.
Pope Francis used to conclude his speeches and meetings by saying, do not forget to pray for me. Now dear Pope Francis, we now ask you to pray for us. And we ask you to bless the church from heaven, bless Rome and bless the whole world, as you did last Sunday from the balcony of this Basilica in a final embrace with all the people of God, but also embrace humanity in its entirety that seeks the truth with a sincere heart and holds high the torch of hope.
COOPER: That was Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the Dean of the College of Cardinals. Next the universal prayer, read in a number of different languages, also known as the prayer of the faithful. You will hear the refrain over and over, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer. It will be read in French and Arabic and Portuguese, Polish, German and Chinese.
RE: Let us pray to God, our Father, who today brings us together to commemorate the paschal mystery of His only begotten son. As we celebrate the funeral of the pastor of the universal church, may he welcome him into his peace and bestow every blessing upon the church and the whole world. Let us pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For the late Pope Francis, led the Chief Shepherd who eternally lives to intercede for us. May we --
