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World leaders, including heads of state and royalty, are set to arrive in Rome on Friday for Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Square. However, a small group of impoverished individuals, who will gather at a nearby basilica to meet his casket, better reflect Francis’ modest character and his disapproval of excessive ceremony.
The Vatican said 130 delegations are confirmed, including 50 heads of state and 10 reigning sovereigns.
US President Donald Trump and Argentine President Javier Milei are among those scheduled to arrive on Friday, the final day for public viewing of the Argentine pope’s body at St. Peter’s Basilica. His coffin will be sealed later that evening in anticipation of the funeral on Saturday.
Aligned with Francis’ commitment to the marginalized, the Vatican has stated that a group of poor and needy individuals will honor the pope’s casket when it reaches St. Mary Major Basilica on Saturday for burial. The tomb has been set up behind a wooden barrier in the basilica, chosen by Francis due to its proximity to a Madonna icon that he held in high regard and frequently prayed before.
Photos released by the Vatican on Friday show the marble tombstone flat against the pavement, with the simple engraving in Latin that he requested in his last testament: “Franciscus”
Trump, who is travelling with first lady Melania Trump, is scheduled to arrive on Friday, after Francis’ coffin has been sealed.
Among the other foreign dignitaries confirmed for the papal funeral are: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and first lady Olena Zelenska, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Prince William, Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, Hungarian President Viktor Orbán and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
