There’s an immediate contrast between the coverage of the funeral of Pope Francis on BBC One and RTÉ, with the former delving from the get-go into the nuts and bolts of the ceremony and the latter going a bit Father Ted and unpacking the “that would be an ecumenical matter” aspect of the day.
On the BBC, a map traces the funeral route – from St Peter’s in the Vatican to the Pontiff’s final resting place at Santa Maria Maggiore Church, five kilometres away in central Rome. We are told that the ceremony will be “simpler than those of previous popes … following instructions that [Francis] set out himself [as] head of state and leader of more than a billion Catholics”. For those who haven’t it all before, this is valuable information that gives the viewer context for the near four-hour broadcast to follow (bring snacks - it’s going to be a long one).
Over on RTÉ, however, it’s straight into the ecclesiastic weeds. Presenter David McCullagh is joined from Rome by Sr Mary Barron and Fr Gerry Whelan, top theologians whom he invites to hold forth on matters of “synodality” – no doubt fascinating to students of Catholic doctrine but a subject which could easily have been put to one side in favour of the basic facts about the laying to rest of Francis following his death on Monday.
The funeral generates headlines in real-time as images of US president Donald Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy seated across from one another, heads bowed, gazes locked, ripple around the world. It is impossible not to be struck by the contrast between their thoughtful body language and their disastrous face-off at the White House (as with everything else in life, this confab is seemingly much the better for the absence of US vice president JD Vance). The picture suggests some good might come from the Pope’s passing – a message taken up by RTÉ and its almost celebratory tone.
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That is particularly so back in Dublin, where Sharon Ní Bheoláin is brisk, bordering on chirpy, as she is joined by Michael Kelly, former editor of the Irish Catholic, theologian Gina Menzies and friar and religious scholar Kieran O’Mahony.
Kelly compares the send-off given to John Paul II — that rock star of Christianity — with that of Francis, whose funeral is more low-key. Or as close to low-key as you can get considering this is a ceremony held at the Vatican, with tens of thousands in attendance and millions more watching on television. “In some ways it’s an unfair comparison,” he says. “John Paul had an epic papacy. Four million people came to Rome. It’s quite different.”
Back at the Vatican, the funeral mass and procession are narrated by Áine Lawlor and Fr Michael Collins. The latter’s unshowy style is a good fit for the occasion. He conveys the essence of Francis when he says of the late Pope: “he’s a human being ... not a demigod … not a saint.”
Over at the BBC, the UK broadcaster today carries some (mildly) critical of the late Pontiff. “Not everyone thought Pope Francis got it right,” says a commentator over footage of Zelenskiy’s arrival. “There were those who felt he could have been more outspoken when it came to Ukraine on the side of Ukrainian Catholics. He apparently saw his role as being peacemaker – finding a way to bring side together. Some were critical of him.”
There is, of course, a lot of pomp. That is inevitable with so many cardinals and bishops and such a diverse array of vestments and headgear (among all world religions, Catholicism 100 per cent has the best hats). But the ceremony is filmed with splendid cinematic minimalism by Italian TV. There is an abundance of drone shots of Francis’ simple wooden coffin from high above and great panning views of St Peter’s Basilica. It is a vantage point that makes everyone, from presidents and royalty to ordinary worshipers, seem equal under the clear blue skies of Rome in April – this most humble of Popes would have surely approved.
