Funeral of Pope Francis: where and when to watch.

The farewell ceremony for the Pope has begun in the Vatican

Today in the Vatican, the farewell ceremony for the Pope started at 11:00 AM Kyiv Time.

At 11:00 AM, a funeral Mass took place in St. Peter's Basilica. After this, the ceremony continued in the square in front of the basilica, where cardinals, Vatican officials, members of royal families, and world leaders gathered.

The live broadcast of the event is available on:

• Public Broadcasting's First Channel,
• on the YouTube channel 'Public News'.

Earlier, we reported that at least 130 foreign delegations are expected to arrive for Pope Francis's funeral on April 26 in the Vatican, including 50 presidents and 10 monarchs. This was reported by 'Glavcom' citing BBC.

The participants of the ceremony will include US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Argentine leader Javier Milei, Welsh Prince William, Spanish King Felipe VI, French President Emmanuel Macron, and other world leaders.

According to AFP, enhanced security measures have been implemented in Rome and the Vatican ahead of the arrival of high-profile guests - a no-fly zone has been established over the Italian capital, and sniper units are positioned on rooftops along Via della Conciliazione, which leads to St. Peter's Square.

It is recalled that Pope Francis passed away on Monday morning at the age of 88. The cause of death is reported to be a stroke against the backdrop of several chronic illnesses. Pope Francis had been suffering from bilateral pneumonia identified in February. During his time in the hospital, Francis experienced four respiratory crises. According to doctors, his life was in danger twice. On March 23, Pope Francis was discharged from the hospital.

As reported, according to Pope Francis's will, he will be buried in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, rather than in the Vatican, where many of his predecessors rest. In a document published on Monday evening, he requested that his tomb be simple and without special decorations.