President Ruto among world leaders attending Pope Francis' funeral
The funeral service will be presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the 91-year-old dean of the College of Cardinals.
The pope’s funeral service will begin at 10:00 a.m. (0800 GMT) in St. Peter's Square, in front of the 16th-century basilica.
It will be presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the 91-year-old dean of the College of Cardinals.
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Among those attending from more than 150 countries will be Kenyan President William Ruto, U.S. President Donald Trump, as well as the presidents of Argentina, France, Gabon, Germany, Italy, the Philippines, Poland and Ukraine, together with the prime ministers of Britain and New Zealand, and many European royals.
Pope Francis, during his reign, shunned much of the pomp and privilege usually associated with the papacy, and he will carry that desire for greater simplicity into his funeral.
A view shows an area outside St. Peter's Basilica where Pope Francis's coffin is to be laid during his funeral ceremonies, at the Vatican, April 25, 2025. (Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco)
Whereas Pope John Paul II's funeral in 2005 lasted three hours, the service on Saturday is due to take 90 minutes.
Francis also opted to forego a centuries-old practice of burying popes in three interlocking caskets made of cypress, lead and oak. Instead, he has been placed in a single, zinc-lined wooden coffin, which was sealed closed overnight.
In a further break with tradition, he will be the first pope to be buried outside the Vatican in more than a century. He chose Rome's Basilica of St. Mary Major, some 4 km (2.5 miles) from St. Peter's, as his final resting place.
His tomb has just "Franciscus", his name in Latin, inscribed on the top. A reproduction of the simple, iron-plated cross he used to wear around his neck hangs above the marble slab.
Casket of Pope Francis being sealed, April 25, 2025. (Photo: Vatican Media/Simone Risoluti)
His funeral motorcade will drive him through the city for one last time, allowing Romans to say their farewells.
Below is a list of the main world leaders who have so far said they will attend Pope Francis' funeral on Saturday in Saint Peter's Square.
ALBANIA - President Bajram Bega.
ANGOLA - President Joao Lourenco.
ARGENTINA - President Javier Milei.
AUSTRIA - President Alexander Van der Bellen, Chancellor Christian Stocker.
BANGLADESH - Chief Adviser (interim leader) Muhammad Yunus.
BELGIUM - King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, Prime Minister Bart De Wever.
BRITAIN - Prince William and Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
BRAZIL - President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and first lady Janja Lula da Silva.
BULGARIA - Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC - President Faustin-Archange Touadera.
CROATIA - President Zoran Milanovic.
CYPRUS - President Nikos Christodoulides.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO - President Felix Tshisekedi.
CZECH REPUBLIC - Prime Minister Petr Fiala.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - President Luis Abinader.
ESTONIA - President Alar Karis.
EUROPEAN UNION - Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Council President Antonio Costa, Parliament President Roberta Metsola.
EAST TIMOR - President Jose Ramos-Horta.
ECUADOR - President Daniel Noboa.
FINLAND - President Alexander Stubb.
FRANCE - President Emmanuel Macron.
GABON - President Brice Oligui Nguema.
GERMANY - President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and outgoing chancellor Olaf Scholz.
GEORGIA - President Mikheil Kavelashvili.
GREECE - Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
HONDURAS - President Xiomara Castro.
HUNGARY - President Tamas Sulyok, Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
ICELAND - President Halla Tomasdottir.
ITALY - President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
IRELAND - President Michael D. Higgins, Prime Minister Micheal Martin.
INDIA - President Droupadi Murmu.
INDONESIA - President Joko Widodo.
JORDAN - King Abdullah and his wife Queen Rania.
KENYA - President William Ruto.
LATVIA - President Edgars Rinkevics.
LEBANON - President Joseph Aoun.
LESOTHO - King Letsie III.
LITHUANIA - President Gitanas Nauseda.
LUXEMBOURG - Prime Minister Luc Frieden.
MACEDONIA - President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova.
MADAGASCAR - President Andry Rajoelina.
MALTA - President Myriam Spiteri Debon.
MOLDOVA - President Maia Sandu.
MONACO - Prince Albert and his wife Princess Charlene.
MONTENEGRO - President Jakov Milatovic.
MOROCCO - Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch.
MOZAMBIQUE - President Daniel Chapo.
NETHERLANDS - Prime Minister Dick Schoof.
NEW ZEALAND - Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.
NORWAY - Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit.
PALESTINE - Prime Minister Mohamed Mustafa.
PHILIPPINES - President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
POLAND - President Andrzej Duda.
PORTUGAL - President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Prime Minister Luis Montenegro.
QATAR - Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
ROMANIA - Interim President Ilie Bolojan.
SERBIA - Prime Minister Djuro Macut.
SEYCHELLES - President Wavel Ramkalawan.
SIERRA LEONE - President Julius Maada Bio.
SPAIN - King Felipe and Queen Letizia.
SLOVAKIA - President Peter Pellegrini.
SLOVENIA - President Natasa Pirc Musar.
SWEDEN - King Carl XVI Gustaf, Queen Silvia and Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
SWITZERLAND - President Karin Keller-Sutter.
TOGO - President Faure Gnassingbe.
UKRAINE - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
UNITED NATIONS - Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
UNITED STATES - President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump.
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