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[04/22/25 - 05:23 PM]
ABC News Announces Special Coverage of the Passing and Funeral of Pope Francis
ABC News Studios will present the one-hour, primetime special "Francis: The People's Pope - ABC News Special" on Tuesday, April 22 (10:01-11:00 p.m. EDT), on ABC, streaming the next day on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu.
[via press release from ABC]

ABC NEWS ANNOUNCES SPECIAL COVERAGE OF THE PASSING AND FUNERAL OF POPE FRANCIS, ACROSS ABC NEWS, ABC OWNED TELEVISION STATIONS, ABC NEWS LIVE, DISNEY+ AND HULU

'World News Tonight' Anchor David Muir Will Lead Comprehensive Coverage From the Vatican, Including the Special Coverage of the Funeral 'Celebrating Francis: The People's Pope,' With '20/20' Co-anchor Deborah Roberts, Chief International Correspondent James Longman, Senior National Correspondent Terry Moran, Foreign Correspondent Maggie Rulli and More

ABC News Studios Presents the One-Hour Primetime Special 'Francis: The People's Pope - ABC News Special,' Airing Tuesday, April 22, at 10:01 p.m. EDT on ABC, Next Day on Disney+ and Hulu

Today, ABC News 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 will present the one-hour, primetime special "Francis: The People's Pope - ABC News Special" on Tuesday, April 22 (10:01-11:00 p.m. EDT), on ABC, streaming the next day 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, America's No. 1 streaming news channel available on Disney+, Hulu and other digital platforms, will be on the ground in Rome, providing coverage all throughout the day beginning April 22 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-dept analysis of Pope Francis' legacy, his position on climate change, and his interactions with Trump on migrants.

ABC NewsOne, the affiliate news service of ABC News, will have reporters de la Cuetara and Patrick Reevell in Rome reporting on the passing and funeral of the Pope. NewsOne provides news content and services for more than 200 ABC affiliates and international news partners.

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. At 5:49 a.m. EDT, "Good Morning America" co-anchor George Stephanopoulos led special reports across ABC News and ABC News Live. ABC News Live took over at 6:33 a.m. EDT, anchored by Diane Macedo. ABC News Live stayed in rolling coverage all day Monday. ABC News Radio provided an extended special program on Pope Francis' life moments after his death was confirmed, as well as twice-hourly special reports on his passing and the world's reaction beginning at 4:30 a.m. EDT and continuing throughout the day. "Start Here" had a special bonus episode featuring Moran about the life and death of Pope Francis.

For more information, follow ABC News PR on Facebook, X and Instagram.

About ABC News

ABC News is America's No. 1 news source, providing straightforward, fact-driven journalism across broadcast, streaming, digital and audio. ABC's award-winning programs include "Good Morning America," "World News Tonight with David Muir," "Nightline," "20/20," "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," "GMA3: What You Need to Know," and "The View." Platforms include 24/7 streaming channel ABC News Live featuring "Prime with Linsey Davis," ABC News Studios, ABC News Digital, ABC Audio, and NewsOne. Based in New York City, ABC News is comprised of three U.S. bureaus and eight international bureaus, with a presence in more than 20 countries around the world.





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