Pope’s funeral to take place on April 26 in Rome

The funeral of Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday at the age of 88, will take place on Saturday morning, the Holy See said in a statement Tuesday.

The mass will be celebrated by the dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re, according to the statement, while the Argentine pontiff’s body will be on public display from Wednesday for mourners to pay their respects.

The pope’s funeral will draw major political figures to Rome at a time of escalating geopolitical tensions. 

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he and first lady Melania Trump will attend the funeral, embarking on the first foreign trip of his second term to honour the late spiritual leader.

A day before his death, Francis met with US-Vice President JD Vance, a recent Catholic convert.

Among other world leaders, French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are expected to be present at the ceremony.

On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun expressed China’s condolences over the death of Francis. Francis oversaw a thawing of relations between the Holy See and Beijing, even as the Vatican has been one of Taiwan’s strongest backers in Europe.

Francis had been hospitalised in mid-February with bronchitis, which progressed to life-threatening pneumonia, before leaving the hospital in March. The late pontiff had a history of health issues, including respiratory problems.