How to watch the pope’s funeral

The funeral for Pope Francis is scheduled to take place Saturday morning in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City, capping off a week of mourning following the Catholic leader’s death on Easter Monday.

President Trump and the first lady are among dignitaries from around the world planning to join the service, which begins at 10 a.m. local time in the Vatican City, or 4 a.m. EDT.

The proceedings will be livestreamed on the Vatican’s YouTube channel while cable networks, including NewsNation, BBC, MSNBC and NBC News, provide live coverage of the event. 

As pope, Francis altered the burial rites for pontiffs, which will simplify the process for his own funeral. Instead of three coffins, Francis will have one wooden casket lined with zinc.

Cardinal Kevin Farrell, camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, will preside at the Rite of Sealing of the Coffin for Pope Francis on Friday night, ahead of the papal funeral Saturday morning, according to the Vatican.

It estimated more than 50,000 people have filed past the Altar of the Confession in the 24 hours since the Vatican Basilica opened for public viewing Wednesday morning.

Francis’s body, which currently lies in St. Peter’s Basilica for public viewing, is also not elevated, as has been traditional for deceased popes.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, will preside over his funeral liturgy.

At the conclusion of the services, Francis’s body will leave the Vatican to be transported to his final resting place, a tomb at the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major. He will become the first pope in a century to be buried outside the Vatican.

Soon after he is laid to rest, 135 members of the College of Cardinals will gather in the Sistine Chapel for the papal conclave to determine the next pope. Only those under the age of 80 are eligible to participate in the process.

Pietro Parolin, the cardinal secretary of state, and Luis Tagle, the archbishop of Manila in the Philippines, are among the contenders for the role.