The funeral of Pope Francis will bring together numerous world leaders in Rome this Saturday to bid farewell to the head of the Holy See, who passed away on Monday at the age of 88 after battling a serious respiratory illness.
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The funeral ceremony will begin at 10 am local time (4 am ET) at St. Peter’s Basilica and then his burial will take place at the Basilica of Santa Maria la Mayor, in Rome, in a simple wooden coffin, thus fulfilling his wish.
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Trump and the First Lady of the United States confirmed their attendance
Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump confirmed that they will be present at the ceremony. Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance indicated that he probably would not attend.
The United States delegation will also be composed of a bipartisan delegation from Congress.
Before heading to Rome, Trump expressed his admiration for Francis, stating that “he loved the world, truly, and was simply a good man.” He also mentioned that he found him to be “a fantastic guy.”
Anyway, the relationship between Pope Francis and Donald Trump was tense.
“A person who only thinks about building walls, wherever they may be, and not about building bridges, is not Christian,” said Francis in 2016 in response to Trump’s promise during his first presidential campaign to build a wall on the border between the United States and Mexico.
A few months ago, before being hospitalized for pneumonia, Francisco made a harsh criticism of the Trump administration’s plans to carry out mass deportations of immigrants.
From the United Kingdom, Prince William and the Prime Minister will be attending
Pope Francis’ farewell promises to be one of the most relevant international events of the year, with the presence of leaders seeking to pay tribute to a figure who deeply impacted the Catholic Church and the contemporary world.
This is the list of the main confirmed authorities:
- William, Prince of Wales and heir to the British throne.
- Felipe and Letizia, kings of Spain.
- Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
- Emmanuel Macron, President of France.
- Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Italy.
- Olaf Scholz, Chancellor of Germany.
- Micheál Martin, Prime Minister of Ireland.
- Mary, queen of Denmark.
- Javier Milei, president of Argentina.
- Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil.
- Daniel Noboa, president of Ecuador.
- Ferdinand Marcos Jr., President of the Philippines.
- Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the UN.
Zelensky could not attend the funeral
The President of Ukraine had initially announced his presence at the ceremony alongside the First Lady Olena Zelenska. However, due to military commitments arising from a Russian attack in Kiev on Thursday, he informed that he would not be able to attend in person. Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Zelenska and the Minister of Foreign Affairs would represent Ukraine at the funeral.
In a previous tribute to the pope, Zelensky highlighted the pontiff’s ability to “give hope, alleviate suffering through prayer, and promote unity.”