Photo credit to CBCP News
Thousands are expected to troop to Rome to attend the funeral of Pope Francis. The Vatican is not only the global center of Catholicism, it is also a sovereign state with the pope recognized as both head of state and government. The Holy See has a permanent observer mission to the United Nations.
The Presidential Communications Office confirmed Thursday afternoon via news release that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos will depart to attend the pope’s funeral.
They will represent 78.8 million Filipino Catholics, the largest Catholic population in Asia.
The state-controlled media, PTV-4, reported Friday morning that the first couple was already on their way to the Vatican, although no further details were provided.
President Javier Milei of Argentina (Pope Francis’s native country) together with the country’s foreign minister, Gerardo Werthein, will also attend the rites.
Here is the list of other world leaders confirmed to attend the funeral of Pope Francis.
PressOnePH will update the list as soon as more world leaders confirm their participation.
- Sam Mostyn, Governor General of Australia
- Alexander Van der Bellen, President of Austria
- Christian Stocker, Chancellor of Austria
- King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians
- Bart De Wever, Prime Minister of Belgium
- Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil, and Rosângela Lula da Silva, First Lady of Brazil
- Rosen Zhelyazkov, Prime Minister of Bulgaria
- Manuel José Ossandón, President of the Senate of Chile
- José Miguel Castro, President of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile
- Alberto van Klaveren, Foreign Minister of Chile
- Nikos Christodoulides, President of Cyprus
- Petr Fiala, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic
- Luis Abinader, President of the Dominican Republic, and Raquel Arbaje, First Lady of the Dominican Republic
- Alar Karis, President of Estonia
- Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
- António Costa, President of the European Council
- Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament
- Emmanuel Macron, President of France
- Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of Germany
- Olaf Scholz, Chancellor of Germany
- Tamás Sulyok, President of Hungary
- Michael D. Higgins, President of Ireland, and Sabina Higgins
- Micheál Martin, Taoiseach of Ireland
- Simon Harris, Tánaiste of Ireland
- Sergio Mattarella, President of Italy
- Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Italy
- Vjosa Osmani, President of Kosovo
- Edgars Rinkēvičs, President of Latvia
- Gitanas Nausėda, President of Lithuania
- Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
- Luc Frieden, Prime Minister of Luxembourg
- Rosa Icela Rodríguez, Secretary of the Interior (representing Claudia Sheinbaum, President of Mexico)
- Maia Sandu, President of Moldova
- Dick Schoof, Prime Minister of the Netherlands
- Caspar Veldkamp, Minister of Foreign Affairs
- Christopher Luxon, Prime Minister of New Zealand
- Andrzej Duda, President of Poland, and Agata Kornhauser-Duda, First Lady of Poland
- Szymon Hołownia, Marshal of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland
- Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of Portugal
- Luís Montenegro, Prime Minister of Portugal
- Marcel Ciolacu, Prime Minister of Romania
- Peter Pellegrini, President of Slovakia
- Natasa Pirc Musar, President of Slovenia
- Robert Golob, Prime Minister of Slovenia
- King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain
- Karin Keller-Sutter, President of Switzerland
- José Ramos-Horta, President of Timor-Leste
- Bendito Freitas, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, and Olena Zelenska, First Lady of Ukraine
- William, Prince of Wales (He will represent King Charles as British monarchs traditionally do not attend funerals per Vanity Fair’s royal correspondent Katie Nicholl)
- Sir Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (confirmed in a statement made to the British Parliament)
- Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations
- Donald Trump, President of the United States, and Melania Trump, First Lady of the United States
Not attending
- Chilean President Gabriel Boric announced he will not attend.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend Pope Francis’s funeral. His foreign travel is limited by an International Criminal Court arrest warrant.
- King Charles will not attend the funeral due to royal traditions that dictates no reigning UK monarch should attend funerals.
- King Willem-Alexander will not attend the pope’s funeral for reasons similar to King Charles.
— Rommel F. Lopez (with reports from Hurt Allauigan and Leigh San Diego)