The funeral of Pope Francis will take place on Saturday, April 26 at St. Peter’s Square.
The ritual is expected to be attended by leaders from all over the world.
The Vatican revealed on Monday, April 21, that Pope passed away because of a stroke in the brain which caused him to fall into a coma and led to heart failure.
On Tuesday, April 22, the Vatican released the first images of the Pope in his open coffin, showing him wearing his religious robes.
Here’s the list of prominent leaders who will attend the Pope’s funeral:
US President Donald Trump and Melania Trump:
After the Pope’s death, Trump paid tribute to him and now on his social media account, Truth Social, the US president confirmed that he would be flying to Rome to attend Pope’s funeral.
Trump wrote, “Melania and I will be going to the funeral of Pope Francis, in Rome. We look forward to being there.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy:
According to source in his office, the Ukrainian president also plans to attend the funeral.
Earlier, Zelenskyy, upon hearing about Pope’s death, expressed his condolences and expressed that the Pope had always prayed for peace in Ukraine.
King Philippe and Queen Mathilde:
Belgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilde were the first royal members to confirm they would attend the Pope’s funeral.
Following the Pope’s death, the royal couple expressed their “great sadness” at the loss.
Sir Keir Starmer:
The UK Prime Minister has confirmed he will attend the Pope funeral at Vatican, according to a statement from his office at Downing Street.
Emmanuel Macron:
Macron confirmed that he would attend the funeral of the Pope.
He also paid tribute to the Pope on his social media account X (formerly Twitter), “From Buenos Aires to Rome, Pope Francis wanted the Church to bring joy and hope to the poorest. My wife and I send our thoughts to all Catholics and to the grieving world.”
Javier Milei:
The president of Argentina, despite having previously criticized the Pope Francis will also attend the Pope’s funeral.
Other leaders expected to attend Pope’s funeral:
BRAZIL – President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and first lady Janja Lula da Silva.
EUROPEAN COMMISSION – President Ursula von der Leyen.
EUROPEAN COUNCIL – President Antonio Costa.
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT – President Roberta Metsola.
EAST TIMOR – President Jose Ramos-Horta, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Bendito Freitas.
GERMANY – President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
HUNGARY – President Tamas Sulyok.
ITALY – President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
LATVIA – President Edgars Rinkevics.
LITHUANIA – President Gitanas Nauseda.
POLAND – President Andrzej Duda.
ROMANIA – Interim President Ilie Bolojan.
SWITZERLAND – President Karin Keller-Sutter.
