ABC News Announces Full Slate of Coverage Surrounding Passing of Pope Francis

The coverage began on Sunday and will lead up to the Funeral Mass on Saturday.
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ABC News has announced a full slate of coverage of the death and funeral of Pope Francis across their various platforms.

What’s Happening:

  • ABC News has announced special coverage of the death of Pope Francis, the 266th head of the Catholic Church, including the Pope resting in state, the viewing in St. Peter’s Basilica as worshippers pay their respects, and coverage of his funeral mass - Celebrating Francis: The People’s Pope, on Saturday, April 26, beginning at 3:30 a.m. EDT in St. Peter’s Square.
  • ABC News will also cover the developments of the upcoming papal conclave and the installation of the new Pope. World News Tonight anchor and managing editor David Muir will lead comprehensive coverage from the Vatican, joined by 20/20 co-anchor Deborah Roberts, chief international correspondent James Longman, senior national correspondent Terry Moran, foreign correspondent Maggie Rulli, reporter Ines de La Cuetara, WABC-TV Eyewitness News anchor Mike Marza, KABC-TV Eyewitness News anchor David Ono, and contributors Father Jim Martin, Father John Wauck and Helen Alvaré. Good Morning America co-anchor Michael Strahan anchored from the Vatican on Tuesday.
  • ABC News Studios presented the one-hour, primetime special Francis: The People’s Pope - ABC News Special, yesterday, April 22nd on ABC, and it is now streaming on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu.
  • The special looks at the legacy of Pope Francis, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church who was elected in 2013 as the first ever pope from Latin America, and documents his life from childhood to a young priest, through his papacy, and both the issues he challenged and those which challenged him, including the longstanding cover-up of abuse in the Catholic Church.
  • It examines a pope known for his humility and considered to be a modern and accessible leader who reached out to people of disparate faiths and backgrounds, opening the Church to the way people live today.
  • The special also spotlights how he questioned ideas, looking for places where he felt he was particularly needed, from immigration to women in the church to the treatment of the gay community and climate change.
  • Muriel Pearson serves as executive producer, David Sloan is senior executive producer, and Wendy Krantz is senior producer.
  • ABC News Group will provide ongoing programming throughout the week, including on all ABC News programs and platforms. In addition to its live reports from Vatican City, ABC Owned Television Stations’ will focus on local communities commemorating and celebrating the late Pope throughout the week.
  • A special half-hour streaming feature titled Francis: The People’s Pope - which captures the most impactful stories across each market — will stream on Friday, April 25, ahead of Saturday’s coverage of the funeral services.
  • ABC News Live will be on the ground in Rome, providing coverage through the funeral. Longman will co-anchor from the Colonnade throughout the morning from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. EDT, with Moran anchoring in the afternoons from 1-4:30 p.m. EDT for round-the-clock updates.
  • ABC News Radio will have extensive reporting that features live feeds of all events and network special coverage from the funeral to the selection of a new pope and will track reactions from around the world. Reporters from across the network will be featured on ABC Audio newscasts, special reports and the affiliate audio service. Start Here, the flagship daily news podcast from ABC News hosted by Brad Mielke, will have daily updates from funeral and conclave proceedings, featuring ABC News’ reporters and experts in Rome.
  • ABC News Digital will have comprehensive coverage of the events as they unfold, including a live blog reporting updates from the Vatican in real time, the process of the election of the next pope and the papal conclave, analysis of the top contenders to be the next pontiff, and an in-depth analysis of Pope Francis’ legacy, his position on climate change, and his interactions with Trump on migrants.
  • ABC News has been covering the passing of Pope Francis since Monday, April 21, and was the first network to break into a special report at 4 a.m. EDT on Good Morning America First Look and ABC News Live, anchored by Andrew Dymburt and Alison Kosik.

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Tony Betti
Originally from California where he studied a dying artform (hand-drawn animation), Tony has spent most of his adult life in the theme parks of Orlando. When he’s not writing for LP, he’s usually watching and studying something animated or arguing about “the good ole’ days” at the parks.
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