INTERNACIONAL
Pope Francis to lie in state, mourners welcome: What to expect from the pontiff’s funeral
For his final journey, Pope Francis, dressed in red vestments and a traditional white cassock, will be carried to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore outside the Vatican on Saturday, where he will be laid to rest.
Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio to Regina Maria Sivori and Mario Jose Francisco in Argentina, died on Monday, April 21, 2025, of a stroke and cardiac arrest, according to the Vatican.
In the early morning of Easter Monday, Pope Francis suffered a stroke, followed by a coma. The former head of the Catholic Church then went into irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse and died at 88 years old, according to the Vatican.
POPE FRANCIS REVEALED BURIAL WISHES JUST DAYS AFTER BECOMING POPE IN 2013
Pope Francis served the Catholic Church as the 266th pontiff from 2013-2025. (Fillipo Monteforte/AFP via Getty)
His final public appearance was on Easter Sunday, when he provided blessings to crowds of faithful at St. Peter’s Square.
On Feb. 14, 2025, Pope Francis was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where he received a medical diagnosis of double pneumonia and remained hospitalized for 38 days.
What to expect the week of Pope Francis’ funeral?
On Tuesday morning, around 60 Catholic cardinals held their first meeting since Pope Francis’s death, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. local time in Rome.
The meeting began with a prayer for the deceased pontiff. The high-ranking priests swore to obey the rules of the funeral plans that Pope Francis made last year. Finally, Bergoglio’s final will and testament were read.
THEOLOGIAN ON ‘CONCLAVE’ ACCURACY, EXPECTATIONS FOR NEXT SECRETIVE EVENT AFTER POPE FRANCIS’ DEATH
Pope Francis died on April 21, 2025, the day after Easter Sunday. (Alessandra Benedetti/Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
He requested that the tomb read only «Franciscus,» with no mention of his 12-year papacy, a unique shift from the burial places of past popes.
On Monday in Rome, a rosary service was held for Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square by Cardinal Mauro Gambetti.
Beginning Wednesday at 9 a.m. local time (03:00 ET) and continuing until the funeral, Pope Francis’s body will lie in state at St. Peter’s Basilica, where mourners can pay their respects.
The procession of Pope Francis’s body will pass through Santa Marta Square, the Square of the Roman Protomartyrs and the Arch of the Bells into St. Peter’s Square before entering the Vatican Basilica.
Mourners are welcome to pay their respects at St. Peter’s Basilica in the following days and times:
- Wednesday, April 23, 2025, from 11 a.m. – midnight (0500-1800 ET)
- Thursday, April 24, 2025, from 7 a.m. – midnight (0100-1800 ET)
- Friday, April 25, 2025, from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. (0100-1300 ET)
POPE FRANCIS EMPHASIZED CATHOLICISM GLOBALLY, REACHED BEYOND US, EUROPE INTO IMPOVERISHED NATIONS
Pope Francis is often referred to as «the People’s Pope» and traveled to parts of the world uncommon for popes to visit. (AFP via Getty Images)
What to expect from Pope Francis’ funeral
On Saturday, April 26, 2025, at 10 a.m. local time, Pope Francis’s life will be celebrated during a Mass presided over by His Most Reverend Eminence Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals.
Bishops, priests, cardinals, archbishops and patriarchs from around the world will officiate the service.
The events will conclude with the beginning of the Novemdiales, a symbolic and procedural period of nine days of prayer, mourning and remembrance.
Another funeral Mass will be held on Sunday by Italian Cardinal and Secretary of State Pietro Parolin.
Pope Francis will be taken to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore for burial.
FIRST PHOTOS RELEASED OF POPE FRANCIS IN HIS CASKET; FUNERAL SET FOR SATURDAY
Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was from Argentina and the first pope in history from the Global South. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
What does Pope Francis’ will say?
The 266th pontiff revealed his burial wishes just days after being elected in 2013.
«It was his belief that he may not live very long,» Neomi DeAnda, a trained constructive theologian, told Fox News Digital. «He was already in his 70s when he was elected pope, and he wanted to be prepared when God called him home.»
«In the Name of the Holy Trinity. Amen.
«Feeling that the sunset of my earthly life is approaching and with lively hope in the Eternal Life, I wish to express my testamentary will only with regard to the place of my Burial.
«I have always entrusted my life and the priestly and episcopal ministry to the Mother of Our Lord, Mary Most Holy. Therefore, I ask that my mortal remains rest waiting for the day of the resurrection in the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.
TRUMP WILL ATTEND POPE FRANCIS’ FUNERAL IN ROME DESPITE CONTENTIOUS PAST: ‘LOOK FORWARD TO BEING THERE!’
Pope Francis’ life will be celebrated in Rome on Saturday, April 26, 2025. (The Associated Press)
«I want my last earthly journey to end in this ancient sanctuary Mariano where I went for prayer at the beginning and end of each Apostolic Journey to confidently entrust my intentions to the Immaculate Mother and thank Her for the docile and maternal care.
«I ask that my tomb be prepared in the hole of the aisle between the Pauline Chapel (Chapel of the Salus Populi Romani) and the Sforza Chapel of the aforementioned Papal Basilica as Indicated in the attached annex.
«The tomb must be in the earth; simple, without particular decorum and with the only inscription: Franciscus.
CLICK HERE TO GET TO THE FOX NEWS APP
«The expenses for the preparation of my burial will be covered with the sum of the benefactor who I have arranged, to be transferred to the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and of which I have provided to give appropriate instructions to Mons. Rolandas Makrickas, Extraordinary Commissioner of the Chapter Liberian.
«May the Lord give the well-deserved reward to those who have loved me and will continue to pray for me. The suffering that was made in the last part of my life I offered to the Lord for peace in the world and brotherhood among peoples.»
INTERNACIONAL
El régimen iraní identificó a casi 3.000 muertos por la represión mientras la ONU estima que la cifra llegaría a cerca de 20.000
El régimen iraní publicó este domingo una lista con los nombres de 2.986 personas fallecidas durante la represión de las protestas que comenzaron en diciembre, un balance que Teherán cifra en 3.117 muertos totales. Sin embargo, la Organización de las Naciones Unidas y organizaciones de derechos humanos advierten que la magnitud real de la masacre perpetrada por la República Islámica podría ser entre seis y diez veces superior, con estimaciones que alcanzan las 20.000 víctimas mortales.
“Me gustaría informar con tristeza a la noble nación de Irán que el número total de víctimas de los recientes acontecimientos es de 3.117”, afirmó el presidente Masud Pezeshkian en un comunicado oficial. El mandatario iraní explicó que la diferencia de 131 personas entre el total declarado y la lista publicada “se debe a la identidad desconocida de varias personas y a las discrepancias en el registro del documento nacional de identidad”, que serán incluidas en una lista complementaria una vez corregidas.
Pezeshkian anunció además que en las próximas 48 horas se habilitará un sistema para que “cualquier nueva información y reclamación pueda ser examinada y verificada sin complicaciones administrativas”.
El comunicado presidencial mantiene la línea argumental del régimen, que atribuye el elevado número de víctimas a “terroristas” respaldados por Estados Unidos e Israel. “Los enemigos históricos y los detractores comercian con las vidas de las personas como si fueran un número”, afirmó Pezeshkian, sin hacer referencias específicas.
Las cifras oficiales, sin embargo, contrastan drásticamente con los datos recabados por organismos internacionales. La relatora especial de la ONU para Irán, Mai Sato, declaró a medios estadounidenses que informes de médicos dentro del país indican que las víctimas mortales podrían alcanzar las 20.000 personas.
“La magnitud de los fallecidos y heridos por la represión de las protestas a lo largo de este mes ha sido enorme, de miles de personas”, confirmó Ravina Shamdasani, portavoz de la Oficina de Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos, aunque reconoció que es “difícil verificar las informaciones que llegan desde el país dadas las restricciones continuas sobre el terreno”.
Amnistía Internacional y Human Rights Watch han documentado el uso de fuerza letal indiscriminada, con fuerzas de seguridad disparando rifles y escopetas cargadas con perdigones metálicos contra manifestantes desarmados. Las morgues desbordadas, el uso de contenedores refrigerados para almacenar cadáveres y los entierros apresurados sin identificación previa apuntan, según estas organizaciones, a un intento deliberado de ocultar la verdadera escala de la masacre.
El apagón casi total de internet impuesto por el régimen desde el 8 de enero ha sido clave para dificultar la verificación independiente. NetBlocks, organización de monitoreo de ciberseguridad, confirmó que se trata del bloqueo digital más prolongado en la historia de Irán, con el objetivo explícito de impedir que los ciudadanos difundan imágenes de la represión y de aislar al país del escrutinio internacional. Esta desconexión ha permitido que las fuerzas de seguridad actúen con mayor impunidad, según denunciaron organizaciones de derechos humanos.
Las protestas estallaron el 28 de diciembre de 2025 en el Gran Bazar de Teherán, inicialmente motivadas por el colapso económico que atraviesa Irán. La tasa de inflación alcanzó el 42,2% en diciembre, con un aumento del 72% en el precio de los alimentos. El rial iraní se depreció drásticamente, con el dólar estadounidense alcanzando los 145.000 tomanes.
Lo que comenzó como huelgas de comerciantes se transformó rápidamente en manifestaciones masivas en las 31 provincias del país, con cánticos contra el líder supremo Ali Khamenei y exigencias de cambio del sistema político. Se trata de las protestas más grandes desde los disturbios de 2022 tras la muerte de Mahsa Amini bajo custodia policial.
La represión alcanzó su punto más crítico los días 8 y 9 de enero, cuando el líder supremo Khamenei ordenó al Consejo Supremo de Seguridad Nacional reprimir las protestas “por cualquier medio necesario”, según informaron funcionarios iraníes a medios internacionales.
Las fuerzas de seguridad recibieron la orden de disparar para matar sin mostrar piedad. The New York Times verificó videos que muestran a agentes abriendo fuego contra manifestantes en al menos 19 ciudades y seis barrios de Teherán. En la ciudad de Fardis, testigos alegan que más de 50 manifestantes fueron abatidos tras el despliegue de una ametralladora montada en un vehículo.
El Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU aprobó la semana pasada, en una sesión de emergencia, una resolución con 25 votos a favor que denuncia que la represión violenta “ha resultado en la muerte de miles de personas, incluyendo niños, y un gran número de heridos”.
El texto, respaldado por Francia, Italia, España y Reino Unido, instó a las autoridades iraníes a poner fin a las ejecuciones extrajudiciales, las desapariciones forzadas, la tortura y otros abusos contra manifestantes pacíficos. La resolución prorrogó dos años más el mandato de la Misión Internacional Independiente de Investigación sobre Irán y por un año el de la relatora especial.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A photo showing Zohran Mamdani at a high-profile luncheon tied to longtime Jeffrey Epstein associate Peggy Siegal has emerged following the release of newly unsealed Justice Department records that also reference his mother, Mira Nair.
The photo, taken Nov. 15, 2017, shows the now-New York City mayor smiling at the Universal Pictures «Get Out» Peggy Siegal luncheon at Lincoln Ristorante in Manhattan.
The event was hosted by Siegal, a once-powerful Hollywood publicist who later faced industry backlash over her deep social ties to Epstein.
Siegal was never charged with a crime.
EPSTEIN FILE RELEASE FEATURES PHOTOS OF MICK JAGGER, MICHAEL JACKSON, DIANA ROSS AND MORE STARS
(L-R) Zohran Mamdani, Daniel Kaluuya, Mira Nair and Shimit Amin attend Universal Pictures’ «Get Out» Peggy Siegal Luncheon at Lincoln Ristorante on November 15, 2017, in New York City. (Owen Hoffmann/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
The image surfaced days after filmmaker Nair was named in a newly released tranche of documents connected to Epstein and his convicted accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.
The records, made public Jan. 30, 2026, are part of a broader release of millions of pages detailing Epstein’s social and professional network. The documents do not allege criminal wrongdoing by those mentioned.
In a 2009 email included in the release, Siegal wrote to Epstein about an after-party for the film Amelia, which Nair had directed.
The message states the gathering took place at Maxwell’s Manhattan townhouse and lists attendees including former President Bill Clinton, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Nair.
The correspondence documents attendance only and does not allege misconduct by those named.
NEW EPSTEIN DOCUMENTS INCLUDE PHOTOS OF BILL CLINTON TOPLESS IN HOT TUB, SOCIALIZING WITH MICHAEL JACKSON
(L-R) Jason Blum, Allison Williams, Jordan Peele, Daniel Kaluuya, Sean McKittrick and Peggy Siegal attend Universal Pictures’ «Get Out» Peggy Siegal Luncheon at Lincoln Ristorante on November 15, 2017, in New York City. (Owen Hoffmann/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
In the 2017 luncheon photo, Mamdani appears alongside actor Daniel Kaluuya, filmmaker Shimit Amin and Nair as they celebrated Jordan Peele’s movie, «Get Out,» which won the Academy Award for best original screenplay.
A second image from the same event shows Peele, producer Jason Blum, Allison Williams and Siegal, highlighting the luncheon’s prominence during Hollywood’s awards season.
Another photo from December 2016 also shows Nair attending a private-residence film event with Siegal for «Queen of Katwe.»
CLINTON TEAM DEMANDS TRUMP DOJ RELEASE ‘ANY REMAINING’ DOCS RELATED TO FORMER PRESIDENT, EPSTEIN
(L-R) Peggy Siegal, Lydia Dean Pilcher, Mira Nair, David Oyelowo and Zoe Oyelowo attend Barbara Broccoli and Walt Disney Studios Host a Screening and Reception for «Queen of Katwe» with Mira Nair and David Oyelowo at Private Residence on December 5, 2016, in New York City. (Aurora Rose/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
At the time, Siegal was a dominant figure in entertainment publicity, known for her access to major studios, A-list talent and industry power brokers.
In 2019, following reporting that detailed her association with Epstein, multiple Hollywood studios, including Netflix, FX and Annapurna Pictures, cut ties with her, according to Variety.
Epstein was first arrested in Florida in 2006 on charges of procuring a child for prostitution and soliciting a prostitute.
GIANTS CO-OWNER STEVE TISCH RESPONDS AFTER EMAILS BETWEEN HIM AND JEFFREY EPSTEIN INCLUDED IN LATEST DOJ DROP
The Department of Justice has released millions of Epstein documents after President Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act in November. (Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
He later pleaded guilty, served 13 months in jail with work release and registered as a sex offender.
He died in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.
Maxwell is serving a 20-year federal prison sentence following her conviction for sex trafficking.
Nair, an internationally respected director known for films including Salaam Bombay!, Monsoon Wedding, The Namesake and Queen of Katwe, has long been a fixture in elite film circles, especially in Manhattan.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
She is married to academic Mahmood Mamdani.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Zohran Mamdani’s office and Peggy Siegal for comment.
jeffrey epstein,zohran mamdani,ghislaine maxwell,movies,new york city
Francia se encamina a la adopción definitiva de su presupuesto
Soledad Pastorutti celebró sus 30 años en Cosquín con un show épico: su impactante entrada y una despedida bajo la lluvia
Corrupción en la AFA: otro helicóptero hizo al menos 34 vuelos a la mansión de Pilar
15 frases de Úbeda tras el triunfo de Boca ante Newell’s: el debut de Ascacibar y Romero, cuándo volverá Cavani y los juveniles
El régimen iraní identificó a casi 3.000 muertos por la represión mientras la ONU estima que la cifra llegaría a cerca de 20.000
El desplome del bitcoin desmiente su reputación de “oro digital”
La escandalosa prohibición de María Susini: por qué no quiere que Facundo Arana se acerque a sus hijos
A qué hora puede llover hoy en CABA, según el Servicio Meteorológico Nacional
Julieta Díaz contó por qué no funcionó su noviazgo con Luciano Castro en medio de la separación con Griselda Siciliani
Maximo Kirchner propuso que Axel Kicillof presida el PJ Bonaerense
CLIMA NOTICIAS3 días agoA qué hora puede llover hoy en CABA, según el Servicio Meteorológico Nacional
- CHIMENTOS2 días ago
Julieta Díaz contó por qué no funcionó su noviazgo con Luciano Castro en medio de la separación con Griselda Siciliani
- POLITICA2 días ago
El New York Times asegura que la Argentina podría firmar un acuerdo con EE.UU. para recibir deportados
