World leaders arrive in Rome while the Vatican prepares the funeral of Pope Francis
The state bosses around the world are converging to Rome this Friday, before the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday.
According to the Vatican, 130 delegations confirmed the presence in the ceremonies, including 50 state heads and 10 reigning monarchs.
The president of the United States, Donald Trump, and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are among the leaders who arrive this Friday.
Trump and the first lady, Melania Trump, should arrive after Francis’s coffin was sealed.
French president Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Strmer and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, are other confirmed presences.
Among the outstanding absent, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Both leaders have a pending capture guarantee of the International Criminal Court.
Public funeral
More than 130,000 people have visited the Basilica since Wednesday to pay tribute to Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday after a stroke. He was 88 years old.
The Vatican returned to extend the opening hours of the basilica at night due to the large influx of people. The Holy See also published details of the funeral. A vulnerable and homeless group meets the Pope’s coffin before Saturday’s ceremonies.
The Pope’s final rest site is preparing in the Basilica of Santa María Maior. Francis chose to be buried near an icon of the Virgin Mary, before which he often prayed.
The eligible cardinals will not begin the conclave to choose the next leader of the Catholic Church until at least May 5.
These cardinals have also been arriving in Rome. A total of 113 met Thursday morning to discuss Church’s affairs. They meet again this Friday, before the break for the weekend.
“We are preparing ourselves, but we have not yet entered the most intense phase. We are in the organization phase,” Cardinal Italian Fernando Filoni said Thursday.
