TV networks and media are preparing for the funeral of Pope Francis, a humble yet forceful pontiff who died on April 21 and leaves behind a legacy of inclusion and activism. 

Funeral ceremonies are set to take place on Saturday, April 26 at the Vatican, where mourners have solemnly walked through St. Peter’s Basilica to pay their last respects to the Holy Father.

Francis died of a stroke and irreversible heart failure, Vatican doctor Andrea Arcangeli said in a death certificate released April 21. He was 88. Since Wednesday, he has been lying in state in St. Peter’s Basilica, the papal enclave in Rome, where thousands have gathered to pay homage. Public visitation will come to an end Friday, April 25 before the funeral takes place the next day.

More than 170 heads of state or government, including President Donald Trump and Prince William, are expected to be in attendance to honor and remember the late Pope.

While Francis wanted a less opulent burial than is traditional for popes and made changes to the church’s book on funeral rites, some of the usual elements such as the three stations of the procedure, named after where those key moments take place, remain in place.

Here’s what to know about Pope Francis‘ funeral and how to watch the services in the U.S., including major TV networks’ broadcast plans.

When is Pope Francis’ funeral? Date, time

Pope Francis’ funeral will be held at 10:00 a.m. local time (4 a.m. ET) on Saturday, April 26 at St. Peter’s Square in front of the basilica in Vatican City.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, will preside over the funeral mass, which will be celebrated by patriarchs, cardinals, archbishops, bishops and priests from around the world, the Vatican has said.

The funeral begins nine days of mourning, prayers and remembrance.

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CNN

While CNN has not yet announced its coverage plans for the Pope’s funeral, the channel’s broadcast schedule says coverage for the Pope’s funeral will begin at 3 a.m. ET on April 26 and go on until 8 a.m.

NBC and MSNBC

NBC, in a news release, said it will begin showing live coverage of the funeral at 4 a.m. ET on NBC News and its local affiliate channels. The network will also broadcast the event on its streaming platform Peacock.

NBC can be accessed via multiple streaming platforms, including Peacock, YouTube, Samsung TV Plus, the Roku Channel and via NBCNews.com and the NBC News app, which will also feature a live blog.

On MSNBC, anchor Chris Jansing will report on the funeral live from the Vatican starting at 3:45 a.m. ET.

ABC

ABC News’ special coverage of the funeral titled “Celebrating Francis: The People’s Pope” will kick off at 3:30 a.m. EDT on Saturday, April 26 in St. Peter’s Square with anchor David Muir leading coverage from the Vatican.

Viewers will be able to watch it on ABC and its 24/7 streaming news channel ABC News Live, as well as on Disney+ and Hulu. The network will also have a live blog, reporting on updates from the Vatican in real time.

Hulu offers membership options ranging from $7.99 a month to $17.99 a month for normal streaming services, and $75.99 a month to $89.99 a month for plans with streaming and live television. New users can also sign up for a free trial.

Fox News

Fox News will begin coverage of the pope’s funeral live from Rome at 3 a.m. ET on April 26, with a special titled “The Funeral of Pope Francis” anchored by Fox News Corporation’s executive editor Martha MacCallum.

The network said its streaming service FOX Nation will livestream coverage of the funeral services from 3-7 a.m. ET. A livestream will be available on FOXNews.com, the network said.

YouTube

Pope Francis’ funeral will also be available on Vatican News’ official YouTube channel starting 4:00 a.m. ET Saturday, April 26. Coverage will be available in English, Italian, Spanish, French, Portuguese and German.

CBS

CBS will kick off its coverage of the Pope’s funeral at 3:00 a.m. April 26 by re-airing Norah O’Donnell’s interview with Pope Francis from April 2024. The interview will be followed by live coverage of the funeral at 4:00 a.m., anchored by Norah O’Donnell and John Dickerson overlooking St. Peter’s Basilica, CBS said.

CBS coverage will be available on CBS, CBS News 24/7, CBSNews.com/live, and Paramount Plus.

Watch “The Funeral of Pope Francis” on Paramount+

Contributing: Eric Lagatta, Mary Walrath-Holdridge, John Bacon, Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY

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Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.