From Pope Francis to His Successor: Raw-News Agency’s Coverage of the Papal Transition
Raw-News teams have been on the ground delivering continuous coverage from the day of Pope Francis’s passing through to the election of Pope Leo XIV. Throughout this historic transition, Raw-News provided real-time visuals, reports, and behind-the-scenes footage to support global news networks in documenting one of the most significant events in the modern history of the Catholic Church.
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It was April 21st, 2025. Raw-News had just wrapped coverage of the Iran Talks in Rome for Al Jazeera English with correspondent James Bays when, at 10:00 AM, the news started spreading: Pope Francis has died.
In the media world, it was instant chaos—phones lighting up, inboxes on fire, and an all-out rush to book crews, secure accreditations, and get to St. Peter’s Square within minutes to go live as soon as possible.
Within hours, the square began to fill with journalists, and within two days, media teams from around the world were flooding in. The Vatican Press Office would eventually issue 5,000 media accreditations—making it arguably the most widely covered news event in the world.
The evening of April 21st was perhaps the most moving. Pilgrims and faithful arrived in a still-accessible St. Peter’s Square. Tears, prayers, and moments of silence created a sacred, almost mystical atmosphere—beautifully captured by one of our Raw-News teams reporting live for Al Jazeera with journalist Milena Vesenilovic: https://youtu.be/l–JTi00WCE
The day of the funeral was the most logistically complex. The arrival of world leaders triggered citywide lockdowns, with red zones limiting access. TV crews had to be in place by 6:00 AM, ready to broadcast from key positions.
One of our teams covering for the European Commission set up on the Carlo Magno colonnade.
Here Cameraman Christian Mantuano took lead on the Carlo Magno side.
For NBC News, we were in the dedicated media space near the St. Uffizio building.
Paolo Amadei supporting here NBC correspondent Claudio Lavanga.
Coverage for Al Jazeera included live feeds from Santa Maria Maggiore, where Pope Francis’s casket was escorted for burial, and from EBU positions around the square.
The follow report was made by our team from S.M.M with Natacha Butler and Tristan Redman from Aje Paris Bureau.
After a few intense days, we used a short window of calm to reinforce our teams, complete our setups, and ensure all gear—cameras, live units, mobile editing suites—was fully operational in time for the Conclave.
Here’s a launching promo we shot for Al Jazeera with correspondent Hoda Abdel Hamid:
On May 8th, 2025, after just two black smoke signals from the Sistine Chapel chimney, the white smoke finally appeared. At 7:15 PM, Cardinal Protodeacon Dominique Mamberti announced: “Habemus Papam.”
The new pope: Robert Francis Prevost, who chose the name Pope Leo XIV.
Watch here an excerpt from Al Jazeera’s live coverage featuring Hoda Abdel Hamid.
A Big Thank You
Raw-News would like to thank its incredible team of cameramen, editors, and producers for their hard work and professionalism during these intense weeks:
Mario Poeta, Paolo Amadei, Cecilia Ferrara, Alessio Schiesari, Sara Minelli, Osama Aboulkhair, Christian Mantuano, Christian Bocchi and Federico Fornaro.
We also thank the networks who trusted us with their coverage of this historic moment:
Al Jazeera English, NBC News, CBS News, NewsMax US, EBS News, the European Commission, ARTE, and Seven One
Stay Tuned!