Who is attending Pope Francis' funeral in Rome and who isn't?

Pope Francis, one of the most popular pontiffs of the Roman Catholic Church, passed away on Easter Monday (April 21). His funeral is set to take place today (April 26) at St Peter’s Basilica.

The funeral will bring many world leaders together to pay their respects to the Pope. A long list of leaders from around the world will be attending the funeral.

From Prince William to Donald Trump, a long list of leaders will be attending the funeral. Here are some of them

United States

US President Donald Trump will be present at the funeral with his wife Melania. In a social media post on Truth Social, Trump said, “Melania and I will be going to the funeral of Pope Francis, in Rome. We look forward to being there!”

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United Kingdom

Prince William is set to attend the 88-year-old Pope’s funeral in the Vatican, on behalf of the Royal Family, said Kensington Palace. The King was in Rome with Queen Camila earlier this month and met the pontiff at the Vatican.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Keir Starmer will also be attending the funeral after receiving an invitation for the same, confirmed 10 Downing Street.

European Union Commission

The European Union (EU)Commission has confirmed that Ursula von der Leyen, the Commission President will be heading to Rome for the funeral, reported news website SkyNews.

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“He inspired millions, far beyond the Catholic Church, with his humility and love so pure for the less fortunate,” she said in her tribute.

France

According to local reporters, French President Emmanuel Macron will be heading to Rome for the Saturday funeral. Paying a tribute to the Pope, he said, “We will attend the pope’s funeral as we should.” Earlier, Macron cut short a visit to the Indian Ocean region after the pope’s death.

Argentina

The president of Pope Francis’s home country, Argentina, Javier Milei will be at the funeral. Notably, the Pope had a delicate relationship with politics in his own country, where he was born in 1936.

Brazil

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his wife Janja will be attending the funeral. Speaking about it, Lula has said Francis “vigorously criticised the economic models that have brought so much injustice to humanity”. Meanwhile, Brazil also declared a seven-day mourning period for the Pope.

Here are some other leaders who will be attending the funeral

• Ireland - Prime Minister Micheal Martin
• Spain- King Felipe and Queen Letizia
• Belgium - King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, along with Prime Minister Bart De Wever
• East Timor - President Jose Ramos-Horta
• Germany - President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and outgoing chancellor Olaf Scholz
• Hungary - President Tamas Sulyok
• Italy - President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni
• Latvia - President Edgars Rinkevics
• Lithuania - President Gitanas Nauseda
• Poland - President Ilie Bolojan
• Switzerland - President Karin Keller-Sutter
• Czech Republic - Prime Minister Petr Fiala

While most of the world leaders will be attending, some of them have decided to give it a miss. From Russian President Vladimir Putin to Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not be attending the funeral. Here are some of the leaders.

Russia

President Putin will not attend the funeral. The Kremlin cited no specific reason, but his international travel is limited due to an International Criminal Court arrest warrant. He sent a message to Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the chief of the Catholic Church.

Israel

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed he will not be present at the funeral.

Some of the other leaders who aren’t attending

• Taiwan - President Lai Ching-te
• Canada - Prime Minister Mark Carrey
• Chile - President Gabriel Boric
• The Netherlands - King Willem-Alexander