President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT) arrived at Saint Peter’s Square in the Vatican, for the funeral of Pope Franciso. The ceremony is scheduled to start at 05h, in Brasília time.
A total of 130 delegations, including 55 heads of state, 14 heads of government and 12 reigning monarchs will be present, the Vatican said.
French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Stmerer, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are among the leading European leaders who will participate.
US President Donald Trump will also.
Prince William of Britain, the next in the line of succession to the throne, is among the members of the world royalty. King Felipe and Queen Leticia, from Spain, are also present.
In addition to a series of world and religious leaders, at least tens of thousands of public people are expected to be in St. Peter’s Square. About 50,000 people attended Pope Benedict XVI’s funeral in 2023, while about 300,000 attended that of Pope John Paul II in 2005.
And to cover the event, more than 4,000 journalists requested accreditation from the Holy See, the Vatican media said.
