Indian President Murmu, US President Trump and Ukraine’s Zelensky to attend, among others; the Vatican said 130 delegations are confirmed, including 50 heads of state and 10 reigning sovereigns
Pope Francis lies in state in a coffin, as visitors queue to pay their respects at St Peter’s Basilica. Pic/AFP
Heads of state and royalty started converging on Rome on Friday for the funeral of Pope Francis in the Vatican’s St Peter’s Square, but the group of poor people who will meet his casket in a small crosstown basilica are more in keeping with Francis’ humble persona and disdain for pomp.
Murmu heads to Rome
President Droupadi Murmu on Friday departed for Vatican City to attend the State Funeral of Pope Francis. Accompanying her are Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs, Kiren Rijiju; Minister of State for Minority Affairs and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, George Kurian; and Deputy Speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly, Joshua De Souza.
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 were among the other leaders set to arrive on Friday, the last day the Argentine pope will lie in state in St Peter’s Basilica before his coffin is sealed in the evening in preparation for his funeral Saturday.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of mourners have waited hours in line to bid farewell to Francis, who died on Monday after suffering a stroke at the age of 88. A higher-than-expected turnout prompted the Vatican to extend the basilica’s opening hours overnight. By Friday morning, more than 128,000 people had filed past Francis’ open coffin placed in front of the basilica’s main altar to pay their respects.
Mourners from around the world filed past at times praying, at times holding smart phones aloft—despite instructions not to—for a photo of the late pontiff laid out in red robes, a bishop’s pointed miter and a rosary entwined in his hands. St Peter’s Basilica remained open most of the second night, closing for just a few hours. Mourners began arriving before dawn, and sprinted into the piazza to pay their respects when security reopened the flows.
Cardinals in discussions
The work of the conclave to choose a new pope won’t start until at least May 5, after nine days of public mourning. Cardinals have been also been arriving in Rome, with 113 meeting on Thursday morning to discuss church business. They will meet again on Friday before taking a break for the weekend.
Papal burial
In keeping with Francis’ embrace of the marginaliSed, a group of poor and needy people will meet the pope’s coffin to pay homage to him when it arrives at St Mary Major Basilica for burial on Saturday. It has already become a point of pilgrimage. The tomb is being prepared near an icon of the Madonna that he revered.
Some world leaders who will attend...
>> Indian President Droupadi Murmu
>> US President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania
>> Argentine President Javier Milei
>> Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and First Lady Olena Zelenska
>> French President Emmanuel Macron
>> British PM Keir Starmer
>> Prince William
>> Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia
>> Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
