World leaders including Donald Trump , Emmanuel Macron, and EU officials have gathered in St. Peter’s Square, where around 200,000 mourners gathered to pay their last tributes to Pope Francis . Pope Francis died on Monday, April 21 from heart failure following a stroke at the age of 88.
His funeral ceremony will begin at 10 am CET (1:30 pm IST) at St Peter’s Square in the Vatican before he is buried at Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.
For the Pope's burial procession, his casket will travel on the modified vehicle used during his 2015 visit to the Philippines, allowing mourners to see it along the 4-kilometre route from St. Peter’s Basilica to his burial site.
Known for embracing crowds, his last ride came on Easter Sunday following hospitalisation. Breaking with recent custom, Francis will be buried in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in a simple tomb. Over 250,000 visited St. Peter’s this week, with doors kept open overnight for the steady stream of mourners.
His funeral ceremony will begin at 10 am CET (1:30 pm IST) at St Peter’s Square in the Vatican before he is buried at Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.
- President Droupadi Murmu accompanied by union minister for parliamentary affairs Kiren Rijiju, and minister of state George Kurian, along with Goa's Deputy Speaker, Joshua De Souza will participate in Pope’s funeral on behalf of India.
- US President Donald Trump along with First Lady Melania Trump and former President Joe Biden with wife Jill Biden will attend the funeral.
- President of European commission Ursula von der Leyen along with French President Emmanuel Macron, Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni along with other leaders from Europe will attend the funeral.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will also join the funeral service. However Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not attend the funeral, as both are facing international arrest warrants related to alleged war crimes.
- Other VIPs include Bangladesh Prime Minister Muhammad Yunus, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Argentinian President Javier Milei and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.
For the Pope's burial procession, his casket will travel on the modified vehicle used during his 2015 visit to the Philippines, allowing mourners to see it along the 4-kilometre route from St. Peter’s Basilica to his burial site.
Known for embracing crowds, his last ride came on Easter Sunday following hospitalisation. Breaking with recent custom, Francis will be buried in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in a simple tomb. Over 250,000 visited St. Peter’s this week, with doors kept open overnight for the steady stream of mourners.
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