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PEOPLE OFTEN SAY that the Catholic Church moves slowly, and so it is with the Vatican’s press office too.
The Journal faced a wait of close to three hours to receive its accreditation for Pope Francis’ funeral, but were among the lucky outlets.
Others had to queue over a two-day period and last night, long lines of journalists pleaded their case.
When one person became irate with the wait, an employee with the Vatican’s press office replied: “Please, Papa Francesco just died, we are in mourning and trying our best.”
At 8am this morning, some journalists were still outside the Vatican press office, a stone’s throw away from St Peter’s Square, desperately seeking their media accreditation card before the 10am funeral.
Perhaps the fight to get the precious media accreditation card set journalists on edge.
At 6am this morning in a court yard just off St Peter’s Square, journalists from all over the world were waiting patiently to board a small lift to take them to the top of one of the colonnades that encircle the Square.
Everything moves slowly when it comes to media access at the Vatican but this is kind of next level @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/L48RwaxnV6
— Diarmuid Pepper (@Diarmuid_9) April 26, 2025
Suddenly, around 30 people sprinted out of the courtyard and towards St Peter’s Square.
The rumour mill began – has Trump arrived?
A fellow journalist said nothing good ever comes from running with the crowd, so many others remained in the courtyard.
We were then faced with a choice – wait for the small lift or climb the tiny, centuries old staircase.
The Journal opted for the staircase and everyone was out of breath at the top but in awe of the view.
View from the colonnade of St Peter’s @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/paqaTDcdAN
— Diarmuid Pepper (@Diarmuid_9) April 26, 2025
From there, we had a birds-eye view of the Cardinals and world leaders coming out of the basilica to take their seat.
Trump, Zelenskyy and our own Michael D Higgins arriving in quick succession @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/gd6oeicHlu
— Diarmuid Pepper (@Diarmuid_9) April 26, 2025
But it was inside the basilica where all the action was happening, with US president Donald Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy sitting face to face just weeks after publicly arguing in the White House.
From atop the colonnade, the photographers perked up and sprung into action any time the Cardinals and Bishops below removed or reapplied their headwear.
When seen from atop, it’s easy to see why such theatre attracts the camera.
The moment the cardinals and bishops began to depart Pope Francis’s funeral to applause from those gathered as he made his way to Santa Maria Maggiore pic.twitter.com/xahccxZCi5
— Diarmuid Pepper (@Diarmuid_9) April 26, 2025
Before the funeral Mass, a voice on the loudspeaker encouraged all Catholics present to partake of the Eucharist.
It required an army of priests, several hundred by the look of it from atop the colonnade, and priests were even able to make their way to the top of the colonnade to distribute the Eucharist to Catholic journalists.
I assumed the eucharist wouldn’t make its way to the colonnade for the media but I was mistaken @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/xJZeMcbxJl
— Diarmuid Pepper (@Diarmuid_9) April 26, 2025
Speaking moments after the funeral, Dubliner Marie Heraughty said it was “emotional” but also a “wonderful moment able to say goodbye and thank Pope Francis for teaching us how to live mercy and kindness in a better way”.
Like so many, Marie Heraughty was over for originally for the Canonisation of Carlos Acutis. She said he even came through for her group today, when a prayer to him fixed the big screen that was in the blink at St Peter’s. @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/8KQCGJsotJ
— Diarmuid Pepper (@Diarmuid_9) April 26, 2025
She had come to Rome to see the canonisation of Carlo Acutis, which was postponed due to Francis’ death.
“We got a favour from Carlo Acutis this morning,” said Heraughty with a laugh, “because the big screen in front of us wasn’t working.
“So we all gathered and prayed to Carlos Acutis and it started working again.”
And from there it was a journey of around five kilometres to Santa Marta Maggiore, where Francis was buried.
He’s the first pope since Leo XIII, who died in 1903, to be buried outside of the Vatican
It’s in a rather unfashionable area of Rome – on a taxi journey to the basilica on the night before Francis’ funeral, a taxi driver warned to be especially wary of pickpockets.
Perhaps this is one of the reasons Francis chose to be buried here and indeed a group of poor and needy people gave him his final send-off there.
According to Vatican News, the group included homeless people, prisoners, refugees and transgender individuals.
Speaking yesterday, Bishop Benoni Ambarus, who helped organise the send-off, noted that the prisoners from Rome’s Rebibbia prison were still awaiting authorisation to attend.
While this final send-off was not televised, a source said they were “seated in a position of authority”.
The Vatican said that for many of them, he was like a “father” and each holding a white rose, they were among the last to bid farewell to Francis.
“The poor hold a privileged place in God’s heart,” and therefore “also in the heart and teachings of the Holy Father, who chose the name Francis so as never to forget them,” said the Vatican.
Santa Maria Maggiore also holds a special place in Francis’s heart because it houses the Salus Populi Romani icon.
Before and after every foreign journey, he would pray before the Salus Populi Romani icon.
He also made an unscheduled stop on his way home to the Vatican from hospital to pray before the icon.
When Francis appeared from the balcony of the Gemelli hospital in Rome after his 38-day hospitalisation, one of the few words he said was: “I see this woman with the yellow flowers. Brava.”
🇻🇦💐 Carmela Mancuso, speaking to Rome Reports, talks about seeing Pope Francis on Easter Sunday.
— Imperial Material ♚ (@royalistinusa) April 25, 2025
When leaving Rome’s Gemelli University Hospital, for the last time, The Pope pointed her out within the crowds of well wishers. pic.twitter.com/Lt1cws02x5
Francis was able to get a hold of these flowers and he placed them before the icon.
The icon depicts a half-figure of Our Lady with the Child Jesus in her arms.
Pope Gregory I (590-604) is said to have paused in prayer in front of the icon to implore for an end to the plague.
In a similar vein, Francis prayed under the icon in March 2020 for healthcare workers and all those impacted by Covid.
At a rosary for Francis at Santa Maria Maggiore last night, a group of Palestinian priests and teenagers were present, with the teenagers wearing jumpers bearing the image of Carlo Acutis, who was due to be canonised tomorrow.
The priest leading the group said he was there to pray for Francis, a pope he said was a friend to Palestine and to Gaza.
The priest was also there to meet with Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa.
He is the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and the top Catholic in the Middle East, with an archdiocese encompassing Israel, the Palestinian territories, Jordan and Cyprus.
The Italian was made a cardinal in September 2023, shortly before the war broke out between Israel and Hamas.
In October 2023, Pizzaballa offered himself in exchange for those held hostage by Hamas.
“If this can lead to freedom and bring those children back home, no problem. On my part, absolute willingness,” said Pizzaballa at the time.
He is one of the Cardinals deemed to be “papabile” – the closest English translation is “pope-able”.
Diarmuid Ó Dálaigh and his son Naoise, from Midleton in Co Cork, were among those at the rosary said for Francis at Santa Maria Maggiore last night.
They were in Rome for a family holiday and got caught up in the events.
“We’ve really become part of the whole funeral, we came here tonight to pay our respects, and we’re delighted to do so.
“It’s been very moving the whole way through and we’ve great time for Pope Francis.
“He was one of the greats in terms of world leaders and he’ll be remembered like Gandhi and Martin Luther King and others.
He also spoke to the group from Palestine.
“They shared their struggle and their story with us here.”
Naoise and his dad Diarmuid outside Santa Marie Maggiore, where Pope Francis will be buried tomorrow morning. Naoise talks about his hopes for the next pope while Diarmuid discusses having met a group from Palestine at the rosary which was said from the basilica @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/eIv8HMGZ2T
— Diarmuid Pepper (@Diarmuid_9) April 25, 2025
Meanwhile, Naoise remarked that it’s a “very historic event” and noted that it is the first funeral of a sitting pope since John Paul II died in 2005.
“I was only two-years-old when Pope Francis came in so it’s kind of an end of an era, but we’ll hope for a good choice in the next conclave and hope for the Holy Spirit to guide it as well.”
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The amount of love for the Pope and the Catholic Church that was shown this week, is so heart-warming and beautiful, the love and joy
@John: and DESERVED John, our Holy Father was an all encompassing true man of God. R.I.P. Pontiff
@Mary Linton: indeed, Mary
@Mary Linton: I don’t think the Catholic Church is dwindling as much as the angry atheists like to believe it is :)
@John: hoping & praying the conclave annoints a worthy successor to Francis, a forward thinking man of vision, humility & unity.
@John: B.ll.x, the amount of disrespect towards the Catholic Church and dearly deceased Pope was shocking between the Politicians grandstanding and half the disrespectful clowns on here, it’s disgusting.
I’m old enough to remember Pope John Paul II passing in 2005 , the respect and mourning that man had from Ireland was immense.Ive witnessed half the clowns on here with there comments and it’s quite disgusting.In 20 year’s have we lost all respect, all dignity, really??
@martin lawlor: angry atheists, Martin, they have to have something to do, being bitter is one of those things
@John: yawn
@Mary Linton: Hi cutie
@John: the idea of yourself and mary in the front row at mass on a sunday is making me hallucinate.
@martin lawlor: really Martin? Maybe you’re dismayed at the genuine fact that, apart from yourself. Most of the free thinking Irish people have made the conscientious decision to distance themselves away from the RC cult (needless to mention the abusive atrocity of their last 90 yr reign in this country) and ANY fate of their representatives. They’re (rc) irrelevant! Not an Atheist view. Frankly, I’m getting pist off of the faux sanctimony of your like on these comments over the last 5 days. Move the f on!
@John: how dare we speak our mind, down with that sort of thing
@John Doe: I don’t think sanctimony is supposed to be part of Catholic doctrine
@John Doe:
What a way to live, full of anger and hate ! A bit of religion would do them good.
All the comments here so far have been made by one person, using three accounts.
It seems that some things never change.
@Brendan O’Brien: look what the cat dragged in……… The official ” head of trolling” as he self- titled himself over on trustpilot, the supreme multi account muppet
@Buster Lawless: Make that one person, using four accounts.
@Buster Lawless: Clown
@Brendan O’Brien: you have more than 1 account. It’s so obvious. Deny it all you want but your sanctamonious moralising can be recognised a mile away.
Fair play to President Higgins for his statement about Gaza. A situation that greatly saddened Pope Francis.
@JP: pope fra, could’ve easily put more spotlight on this, but yes, well done Mr Higgins.
@John Doe: tired jim doing his best to rile folk at 3.59am…. páťhéťíć ťŕòĺl
I hope this is the last article about the Pope’s funeral. It has been flogged to the death by the Journal
@Patrick MC Dermott: considering the funeral is finished, I imagine it will be
Respect to the pope and holy father. God bless in peace.
Higgins couldn’t help himself having another of his favourite anti Israeli rants at the Pope’s funeral..
Couldn’t just leave it be, nope, not our virtual signalling little president..
Didn’t mention Yemen or Sudan did he, ? Not at all, no Jews = no News is his agenda..
The sooner he’s gone the better ..
@frank dowling: he’s the only man to address the onslaught in front of these supposed leaders. Pope Fra would’ve welcomed the use of his funeral to promote one ounce of peace.
@frank dowling: he was asked by a reporter what he thought of Pope Francis’s support for the people of Gaza and the backlash he faced as a result.
@frank dowling: A self-regarding narcissist who can’t keep his mouth shut!
Gosh I got bored reading this article as it sounds like “they treated us journalists with detain” you need to fight for a story and need to figure out ways to get the best story!! Having a pass just creates the same story – sorry I’m bored perhaps it got better toward the end (is the pope all be again?!?)
so they could have used the stairs all along and yet chose to queue for that elevator… I’m sure some were having some Jerusalem Syndrome related delusions and thinking they’d be going up to heaven
have your say