Special Belfast City Council meeting confirmed to mark death of Pope Francis

The move in the council to hold the meeting follows a proposal put forward by Sinn Fein, with the meeting set to take place on Thursday evening.

A book of condolence in the city hall will open in the coming days, with the building itself also being illuminated in yellow and white on Saturday to mark his passing and coincide with the day of his funeral.

Books of condolence are also being opened at other locations across Northern Ireland, following the death of the pontiff on Easter Monday at his residence in the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta building.

Among those councils are Derry City and Strabane Council, Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council, Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, and Mid Ulster Council.

John McClaughry, the chair of Fermanagh and Omagh council, said many from his part of the country travelled to the Republic during the Pope’s visit to the country in 2018.

"I am conscious that many from our District will have attended the services led by the late Pope during his visit to Ireland in 2018 as part of the World Meeting of Families, and others will visited Rome during his papacy...
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