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World leaders gather in Rome for Pope Francis' funeral, Putin and Netanyahu absent
2025-04-25 10:05:44 / BOTA
Heads of state and dignitaries are gathering in Rome on Friday ahead of Pope Francis' funeral on Saturday.
The Vatican said 130 delegations had confirmed participation, including 50 heads of state and 10 reigning monarchs.
US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are among those arriving on Friday.
Trump, traveling with First Lady Melania Trump, is scheduled to arrive after Francis' coffin has been finally closed.
Other confirmed attendees include French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Notable absentees include Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Both leaders have outstanding mandates from the International Criminal Court.
More than 90,000 people visited the basilica on Thursday to pay their respects to Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday after a stroke at the age of 88.
The Vatican extended the basilica's opening hours overnight due to the large turnout.
A group of poor and homeless people will meet the Pope's coffin before the funeral on Saturday, the Vatican said.
His final resting place is being prepared inside the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary. Pope Francis chose to be buried next to an icon of the Virgin Mary that he often prayed to in the past.
The eligible cardinals will not begin the conclave to elect the next leader of the Catholic Church until at least May 5.
The cardinals have also arrived in Rome. A total of 113 of them gathered on Thursday morning to discuss the issue of the church.
" We are preparing, but we have not yet entered a more intense phase. We are in the organizational phase, " Italian Cardinal Fernando Filoni said on Thursday.
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