Trump and von der Leyen set to attend Pope Francis’ funeral on Saturday

Pope Francis’ funeral will take place on Saturday morning at 10 a.m. CET, the Vatican said Tuesday in a statement.

A slew of world leaders and foreign dignitaries are set to attend the funeral at St. Peter’s Square, including United States President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is reportedly considering attending.

The pontiff passed away on Easter Monday after a months-long battle with illness. His cause of death was reported by Vatican doctors as a stroke.

According to tradition, his successor will be elected in a conclave 15 to 20 days after his death.

Russian President Vladimir Putin — who is the subject of an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant over war crimes in Ukraine — has no plans to attend the funeral, his spokesperson said Tuesday. Italy is a party to the ICC and obligated to arrest Putin if he sets foot on Italian soil.

The Italian government has declared five days of mourning after pope’s death. The period of mourning will last until Saturday, the day of the funeral.

Details of lying in state

People will be able to pay their final respects to Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Basilica from Wednesday through Friday, the Vatican said in a statement reported by Reuters.

Catholic faithful and the general public will be able to visit:

  • from 11:00 am (0900 GMT) to midnight on Wednesday,
  • 7:00 am to midnight on Thursday,
  • and 7:00 am to 7:00 pm on Friday.

Via Politico

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