Pope Francis funeral: List of celebrities, world leaders to attend last rites of pope in Vatican City
Pope Francis will be laid to rest outside the Vatican in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore (St. Mary Major) on Saturday. This will be the first papal burial outside the Vatican in more than a century as the only pope to be buried outside the Vatican in 1903 was — Pope Leo XIII.
Pope Francis funeral: World leaders, celebrities, and nearly 2 billion Catholics worldwide have expressed their support after the death of Pope Francis, who addressed thousands of devotees at Easter services at the Vatican on Sunday.(AP)
The list of world leaders and celebrities to attend Pope Francis’ funeral is expected to expand, with Vatican offering more details about his rites and rituals. Born as Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina’s Buenos Aires on December 17, 1936, Francis was the first Latin American pope.
World leaders, celebrities, and nearly 2 billion Catholics worldwide have expressed their support after the death of Pope Francis, who addressed thousands of devotees at Easter services at the Vatican on Sunday.
From Trump to Macron: Who all will attend Pope Francis funeral
Several world leaders have confirmed their attendance at pope’s funeral, including US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Taking to Truth Social, the US President wrote: “Melania and I will be going to the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome. We look forward to being there!”
Trump’s visit to the Vatican would make him the first sitting American president to take part in a papal funeral since 2005, when George W. Bush attended the funeral of Pope John Paul II.
The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, is also expected to attend the funeral, though this has not been confirmed.
Vladimir Putin, however, announced that he would not be attending the service about one hour after the timings were announced.
According to several reports, Prince William would likely be the royal representative attending the pontiff’s funeral, along with a senior member of the Royal Family. However, his presence has not been formally confirmed.
In 2005, then Prince Charles attended Pope John Paul II’s funeral.
Also Read: What happens to Pope’s ‘Fisherman’s Ring’ after his death? Will it be destroyed?
Here’s is the full list of world leaders attending Pope Francis’ funeral as confirmed by Reuters
ARGENTINA – President Javier Milei.
BELGIUM – King Philippe and Queen Mathilde.
BRAZIL – President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and first lady Janja Lula da Silva.
EUROPEAN COMMISSION – President Ursula von der Leyen.
EAST TIMOR – President Jose Ramos-Horta, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Bendito Freitas.
FRANCE – President Emmanuel Macron.
GERMANY – President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
ITALY – President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
LATVIA – President Edgars Rinkevics.
LITHUANIA – President Gitanas Nauseda.
ROMANIA – Interim President Ilie Bolojan.
SWITZERLAND – President Karin Keller-Sutter.
UKRAINE – President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
UNITED STATES – President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump
