Pope Francis was to be buried at the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome on Saturday following a funeral mass in St. Peter's Square. The ceremony began at 10 a.m. local time (4 a.m. ET). Among the oldest traditions that mark the funeral preparations for Pope Francis is the destruction of his signet ring, the Ring of the Fisherman, one of the most storied pieces of papal regalia. Kissing the pope’s ring as a sign of respect is such a famous gesture that is has become a general expression for deference to authority, and the practice occasionally bothered Francis so much on grounds of hygiene and infection control that he would sometimes withdraw his right hand when people went to kiss it as they met him. Each pope gets his own new ring made at his investiture, which is then destroyed at the end of his papacy, which usually but not always coincides with his death. The National Post runs through the history and significance of this ring that is known in Latin as the “Anulus piscatoris.” Read More

OTTAWA — If this Canadian election is the most important in a generation, why do the two main parties seem to be running less public — or at least lower profile — campaigns? Read More

TORONTO — Before NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh even arrived, some people were thinking about his exit. Read More

VATICAN CITY -- More than 250,000 people paid their last respects to Pope Francis over three days of public viewing by ordinary mourners, church and political leaders that ended Friday, when his coffin was sealed ahead of his state funeral in St. Peter's Square and burial in a basilica outside the Vatican's walls. Read More

Postmedia Network journalist Aaron Beswick, a reporter at the Chronicle Herald in Halifax, has been named journalist of the year by the prestigious National Newspaper Awards, one of two Postmedia winners at a gala ceremony Friday night. Read More

The woman who accused Britain's Prince Andrew and other influential men of sexually exploiting her as a teenager trafficked by financier Jeffrey Epstein has died. She was 41. Read More

OTTAWA — Liberal Leader Mark Carney said on Friday he is “open” to revisiting electoral reform but that it's not a priority in the current political climate. And if he were to follow that route, he would not look to “tip the scales” like his predecessor Justin Trudeau. Read More

MONTREAL -- The Quebec government has stepped in to defend the phrase "Go Habs Go!" as the provincial language watchdog takes heat for objecting to the English word "go." Read More

The last of three friends accused of killing a driver in Colorado by throwing a rock through the windshield of her car was convicted of first-degree murder Friday. Read More

OTTAWA — MPs can say goodbye to their summer plans if Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre becomes prime minister on Monday. Read More

NEW YORK (AP) -- Luigi Mangione pleaded not guilty Friday to a federal murder charge in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson as prosecutors formally declared their intent to seek the death penalty against him. Read More

ROME — Pope Francis chose his place of burial in St. Mary Major Basilica, near an icon of the Madonna that he revered, because it reflects his "humble, simple and essential" life, the archbishop who administers the basilica told reporters on Friday. Read More

NEW YORK (AP) -- A man was stabbed to death during the morning rush hour in the New York City subway system Friday after a dispute with another rider who had stepped on the man's shoes, police said. Read More

Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. — Mark Carney has a winking problem. Read More

Melania Trump attended the 2025 White House Easter Egg Roll this week wearing a notably subdued and minimalist ensemble that drew attention for its Canadian connection. Read More

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) — Disgraced former U.S. Rep. George Santos, who lied about his life story and defrauded donors, was sentenced Friday to over seven years in prison, sobbing as he heard his punishment. Read More

(Bloomberg) — U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow as Washington intensifies its push for a deal to end the war on Ukraine. Read More

OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's riding of Carleton saw the highest early voting turnout in Canada, as 43,394 residents flocked to advance polls over Easter long weekend, according to preliminary data from Elections Canada. Read More

An Ontario judge has declared a mistrial in the sexual assault case of five former members of Canada's world junior hockey team. Read More

Across Canada, statues are coming down, buildings and streets are being renamed, and historical figures are being reevaluated as institutions grapple with reconciling the past with changing values. Read More

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) -- A Russian drone struck an apartment building in a southeastern Ukraine city, killing three people and injuring 10 others, officials said Friday, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump rebuked Russia's leader for a deadly missile and drone attack on Kyiv while Washington is endeavouring to stop the more than three-year war. Read More

ROME — Pope Francis's doctor has recounted the pontiff's final moments in a pair of newspaper interviews published Thursday, saying the pope had his eyes open but was unresponsive after being stricken by illness early Monday morning. "He died without suffering, at home," the doctor said. Read More

MOSCOW (AP) -- A Russian general was killed by a car bomb on Friday, Russia's top criminal investigation agency said, in the second such attack on a top Russian military officer in four months. Read More

Our cookbook of the week is Tahini Baby by chef and television host Eden Grinshpan with Rachel Holtzman. Read More

A woman from Guatemala says she and her two U.S.-born children were held for nearly a week by customs agents in Detroit after a phone app's directions to the nearest Costco led them to an international bridge connecting the city to Canada. Read More

First Reading is a Canadian politics newsletter that throughout the 2025 election will be a daily digest of campaign goings-on, all curated by the National Post’s own Tristin Hopper. To get an early version sent directly to your inbox, sign up here. Read More

CBC’s Vote Compass is back for the federal election, promising to “help you explore how your views compare with those of the parties,” and it’s just as silly as in its many previous iterations. More than 1.2 million people have taken the survey, the website claims, and I’m sorry to say none will have emerged any better informed than when they started — which some might argue goes against the public broadcaster’s basic news mandate. It’s not so much torqued toward one party or another as it is incoherent. Read More

John Ivison has been on the road with the federal leaders’ election campaign tours for his eighth go-round, and offers a behind the scenes look at life with the boys and girls on the bus. Watch the video or read the transcript. Read More

What do you suppose it is like to be Michael Ignatieff right now? Gosh, he must really think the good Lord has it out for him. In 2006, as a stylish liberal intellectual with a star reputation in Europe, he rolled up his sleeves and ran for the Commons seat in Etobicoke — Lakeshore. His ultimate ambitions were no secret, but he thought he had better learn the ropes first, get yelled at on a few doorsteps and absorb the sights and scents of an actual Canadian neighbourhood. In 2009, the suffering Liberals turned to him as a new leader and anointed saviour, with other dignitaries flinging themselves out of his path to make way. Read More

Before we delve into the so-so action-capital-gains-thriller that is The Accountant 2, let’s take a moment to consider just how long it’s been since the two-film franchise’s first instalment. Nine years. Read More

For a second, Mark Carney didn’t know where to look. Read More

Canada's military recruiters have their work cut out for them. Read More

Western democracies face increasing pressures toward censorship, now is the time for Canada to distinguish itself as a nation that protects robust debate. The three major federal parties have released their platforms, revealing dramatically different approaches to free expression. Not only do the platforms make very different commitments — the platforms also provide insight into how the party leaders think about this fundamental freedom: do they see free expression foundational to democracy, or as threatening it? Read More

Randall McKenzie and Brandi Stewart-Sperry have been found guilty of first-degree murder in the 2022 shooting death of Ontario Provincial Police Const. Grzegorz Pierzchala, and were immediately sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years. Read More

VATICAN CITY -- So many mourners lined up to see Pope Francis lying in state in a simple wooden coffin inside St. Peter's Basilica that the Vatican kept the doors open all night due to higher-than-expected turnout, closing the basilica for just an hour and a half Thursday morning for cleaning. Read More

MONTREAL -- A Quebec Superior Court judge has overturned a university tuition hike for out-of-province students that the government introduced to reduce the number of English-speaking students in the province. Read More