The funeral of Pope Francis will take place on Saturday. More than 200,000 Catholics from around the world will arrive in the Vatican to pay their last respects. However, journalists are most interested in the distinguished guests, who will include heads of state and government, kings and queens, international representatives and spiritual leaders.
Rome’s transport system, including airports and train stations, is already operating at an increased capacity to ensure the speed, accuracy and safety of such a large number of people arriving in the Italian capital.
A particular challenge in organising the funeral is compiling a list of who will sit where at the funeral according to the rules of etiquette. Presidents and prime ministers should come first, followed by delegations with official representatives, but this is not always possible in practice.
The Vatican solved this difficult task during the funeral of John Paul II in 2005 by translating all the names of the guests into French and putting them in alphabetical order. In this case, the first places will be reserved for Argentina, the homeland of Pope Francis, and the president of that country, Javier Milei. He is expected to arrive in Rome on Friday morning. Next comes Brazil, which will be represented by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and his wife, followed by US President Donald Trump and his wife. He was one of the first to announce his attendance at the funeral alongside Melania. Their seats will be next to those reserved for French leader Emmanuel Macron.
It is possible that Trump will take advantage of the situation and hold a series of informal meetings behind the scenes during his short stop in the Italian capital. However, there is no precise information about this. Representatives of major supranational institutions, such as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President António Costa and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, also expect to hold a series of bilateral talks, despite the format of the event and time constraints. Former US President Joe Biden intends to attend the funeral of Pope Francis, with whom he had a special relationship.
Due to the influx of believers wishing to say goodbye to the late Pope Francis, St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, where his coffin is on display, remained open for most of last night.
Although the basilica was scheduled to close at midnight local time, it remained open until 5:30 a.m. It was closed briefly for organisational work and cleaning, and its doors reopened at 7:00 a.m.
Pope Francis died on April 21, 2025 at the age of 88. In his will, the pontiff asked to be buried in one of Rome’s oldest churches, Santa Maria Maggiore. Later, a conclave will be held in the Vatican, where cardinals will elect a new pope.
