FLASH NEWS
World leaders to attend Pope Francis' funeral
2025-04-23 07:32:06 / BOTA
A number of global leaders have announced they will travel to Rome for Pope Francis' funeral on Saturday, which is likely to draw large crowds to the square in front of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.
Here is a list of expected VIP guests.
US President Donald Trump said he and his wife Melania would attend the ceremony, writing in a post on social media that "We can't wait to be there!"
"Rest in peace Pope Francis! May God bless him and all those who loved him!" he said in another post.
President Javier Milei of Argentina, where Francis was born, the first Latin American Pope, Jorge Mario Bergoglio in 1936, will also attend, his office said.
The pope had a delicate relationship with politics in his homeland, but Milei hailed his "kindness and wisdom."
EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa, the head of the European Council, will both travel to Rome, officials said.
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain will attend, the royal palace said, with Felipe calling the 88-year-old Argentine "a great ethical beacon of our world, of our time."
French President Emmanuel Macron, who cut short a visit to France's Indian Ocean territories after the Pope's death, told reporters: "We will attend the Pope's funeral properly."
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is also expected, along with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who will lead the German delegation.
But incoming Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who expressed "great sorrow" over Francis' death, will not attend following his conservative party's election victory in February.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said Francis had "prayed for peace in Ukraine," will attend with his wife Olena Zelenska.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who is the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for his invasion of Ukraine, will not attend, the Kremlin said.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever will attend, as will King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, who attended a mass celebrated by Francis in Belgium in September 2024, one of his last foreign visits.
Poland's President Andrzej Duda, who declared a national day of mourning on Saturday, will be among those present with his wife, his office said.
Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Prime Minister Luis Montenegro will lead a delegation to Rome.
Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok has confirmed his participation, as well as Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker and Slovenian President Natasa Pirc Musar, who will be in Rome with Prime Minister Robert Golob.
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