Gavin Grey: Europe Correspondent on funeral for Pope Francis confirmed by the Vatican

Some of the world's most influential people will be making their way to Rome to farewell the late Pope Francis. 

The Head of the Catholic Church died aged 88 on Easter Monday - following a stroke and heart failure.  

Pope Francis' funeral will take place outside St Peter's Basilica on Saturday evening - and he'll be laid to rest in Rome's Basilica of St Mary Major.  

Europe Correspondent Gavin Grey told Francesca Rudkin world leaders have begun confirming their attendance. 

He says Donald Trump, Emmanuel Macron, Sir Keir Starmer, the Argentinean President and Prince William on behalf of the King are among those going. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Gavin Gray joins me now from the UK. Good morning, Devin.
We have more details about the Pope's.

Speaker 2 (00:05):
Funeral, indeed, we do, Francisca. Yeah, Actually, we're getting more
details about really what's going to happen over the next
few days. So we now know the funeral would take
place at the Vatican on Saturday morning, that is Italian time,
so that's going to be obviously very late Saturday night
for you guys and world leaders. We now know who

(00:26):
are going to attend include Donald Trump, Emmanual Macron from France,
Rodimir Putin from Ukraine, the German Chancellor of Off Schulz,
the Brazilian president, the Polish president they incidentally polls holding
a day of national mourning as well on Saturday. The
EU Commissioned President's going, the President of Argentina that's the
birthplace of Pope Frances, and the British Prime Minister. Also

(00:48):
Prince William is going to be there on behalf of
the King who's not going. The Vatican has shared now
images of the Pontiff in an open coffin, and we're
now getting more details about the funeral arrangements, and in
a little over twelve hours time now Pope Francis will
be taken to Cent Peter's Basilica and the coffin will

(01:09):
be there until the burial, and that is for the
public to pay their respects to him.

Speaker 1 (01:14):
Keavin, it just doesn't end for the family of Medel
and McCain, does it.

Speaker 2 (01:18):
I'm afraid not No. So a couple of extraordinary cases
currently before the judges here where two women have denied
stalking the family of Madeline macan. You remember the little
girl went missing in two thousand and seven. Lots of
conspiracy theorists, lots of people suggesting that they might know

(01:38):
who it is. But I'm afraid the little girl has
never been found. And today a woman from southwest Poland
and a sixty year old from Cardiff in Wales attended
Leicester Crown Court. They entered not guilty please, and were
told that they would both go on trial on the
second of October. The twenty three year old from south

(02:00):
west Poland, or Lubin, is accused of sending letters and
messages to Madeline's parents and also to her siblings Sean
and Amelie McCann and also up to February of this year.
The one of the defenders accused of going to the
family's home in Leicestershire in the Midlands as well, so

(02:21):
obviously a great deal of distress course to the family
and these allegations being pursued through the courts now by
those relevant authorities, and last week ministers here in the
UK approved a further two hundred and twenty thousand Ousie
dollars of funding for the ongoing investigation into Maddie's disappearance.

Speaker 1 (02:40):
Givin, thanks so much for your time this morning.

Speaker 2 (02:42):
Love you to catch up for more from Early edition
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