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PRESIDENT MICHAEL D HIGGINS has paid his respects to Pope Francis in St Peter’s Basilica.
Francis died on Monday morning and has been lying in state in the basilica since Wednesday morning.
He was moved from the chapel in Santa Marta on Wednesday in a ceremony that was overseen by Camerlengo and Irish-born Cardinal Kevin Farrell.
President Higgins and his wife Sabina attended the lying in state in the Vatican this afternoon.
President Michael D. Higgins and his wife Sabina today paid their respects to His Holiness Pope Francis in St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican pic.twitter.com/pbII1yn1Vm
— President of Ireland (@PresidentIRL) April 25, 2025
Since St Peter’s opened to the public at 11am on Wednesday, 150,000 people have filed into the basilica to pay their respects.
St Peter’s was due to close at midnight on Wednesday, but remained open until 5.30am and re-opened at 7am.
Some 13,000 people entered the basilica during these early hours.
Both President Higgins and his wife Sabina will attend Francis’s funeral on Saturday morning.
They will be joined by Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris.
US President Donald Trump, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and Britain’s Prince William will also be in attendance.
In a statement ahead of the funeral, President Higgins said he is “pleased to communicate the appreciation of all of the people of Ireland for the life, the documents and the contacts to the most vulnerable all over the world made by Pope Francis”.
President Higgins met with Francis on five occasions.
“The world was struck by the generosity given by Pope Francis, right until the very last moments of his life, in terms of seeking to embrace, as he put it, all of humanity,” said President Higgins.
Through his life and his work, Pope Francis led by example in embracing so many of the most important issues facing humanity.
He described Francis as a “strong advocate for the fulfilling of obligations in relation to Mother Nature and the indigenous peoples who are paying the highest price for the consequences of climate change”.
He added that Francis was a “strong spokesperson for how global poverty could be eliminated, and he gave leadership in relation to the rights of migrants”.
Francis’s first papal trip was to Lampedusa, the southern Italian island that has been a gateway to Europe for hundreds of thousands of migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East.
“In attending the funeral and celebrating the life of Pope Francis, it is important to stress his work on our shared humanity and on the importance of peace, sustainability and of rights,” said President Higgins.
Following the funeral, the President will visit the Pontifical Irish College in Rome, close to Basilica of Saint Mary Major where Francis will be buried.
Francis will be the first pope since Leo XIII, who died in 1903, to be buried outside of the Vatican.
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Hilary Mantels criticism of Kate is just – “jealousy” – she, Hilary is probably like the back of a bus gone wrong.
she is lillian.
But Hilary Mantel is such a wonderful writer, being the first woman ever to win the Booker prize twice, plus winning the Costa prize in 2012. I doubt she would be the jealous type.
In response to Lillian’s comment
Mantel’s comments were taken out of context by the Daily Mail of all publications. It was part of a larger lecture on the royal family and was largely sympathetic.
Shame on the journal for mindlessly repeating such sensationalized gossip and shame on Lillian and some of the commentators for stooping so low as to speculate on what Mantel looks like. She’s a great author and a great intellectual, why is it in any way important what she looks like? Get a grip.
Take a good look at Mantel it’s uncalled for what she said
@AnnMarie We don’t see your face are you ashamed of your own appearance –
don’t tell me to get a grip
That is so unfair, and mean of this woman. The duchess of cambridge is a lovely girl, and seems like a down to earth, normal person trying to fit in and find her way. Why do people have to be so mean and nasty. This woman should keep her opinions to herself. Just because she is a famous writer does not give her the right to judge anybody. I too think she is just jealous, why else would a person be so cruel to another human being. This is totally uncalled for.
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