Pope Francis he died on Monday morning, Vatican Chamberlain Cardinal Kevin Ferrell said. He died after a long battle with bilateral pneumonia, and he was discharged from the hospital a month ago.
The funeral will take place on Saturday (April 25) in St. Peter's Square in Rome at 10 a.m. local time. It will be led by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re.
The Protocol Service of the Vatican Secretariat of State announced on Thursday that so far 130 delegations have confirmed that they will attend the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday.
About 50 heads of state and 10 ruling monarchs will be among the delegations present, according to the announcement, reports Ansa.
Who all announced their arrival?
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, appearing on Pink TV, said that it has not yet been decided whether he or Serbian Prime Minister Đuro Matsut will go to the Pope's funeral. "Djuro Matsut or I will go. The president of Cyprus is visiting, the next day I am waiting for another important guest in Belgrade, and on April 27 I should go to mark the breaking of the Jasenovac camp," said Vučić.
In addition to Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni, who, according to Italian media reports, canceled planned engagements in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan in order to stay in Rome this weekend, the funeral will also be attended by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who confirmed their arrival on Saturday, writes Danas.
Polish President Andrzej Duda, who proposed to declare Saturday a day of mourning in Poland, is also coming to see off the Pope, the Guardian reported.
The Kremlin confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the funeral, but US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania announced their arrival.
Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to attend the funeral, AFP learned from a source close to the Ukrainian president.
The arrival was confirmed by French President Emmanuel Macron, and among those planning to come to Rome are European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Argentine President Javier Millay and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Nine days of mourning
The Vatican announced on Thursday that a period of nine days of mourning will begin on Saturday, when the head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, will be buried. During that period, every day, until May 4, religious ceremonies will be held in St. Peter's Basilica.
Italy's defense ministry will help ensure security during Pope Francis' funeral in Rome on Saturday by deploying anti-drone systems, Eurofighter fighter jets and a destroyer warship off the coast of Fiumicino, officials said.
They stated that in addition to the anti-drone system, fighter jets and a destroyer will be deployed off the coast of Fiumicino in the central Italian region of Lazio, which also includes Rome, to ensure the air and maritime security of the entire region, Ansa reported.
Source: Danas/Tanjug/Vreme
