The funeral of the late Pope Francis will be held on 26 April, Saturday, according to a statement by the Press Office of the Holy See. The Holy Father died on 21 April, Easter Monday, after struggling with severely worsening respiratory conditions. He will be laid to rest outside the Vatican in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, marking the first papal burial outside the Vatican in more than a century. The only pope to be buried outside the Vatican in the 20th century was Pope Leo XIII, in 1903.

Just like the death of high-ranking royals, the death of a pope and the funeral that follows is an event attended by some of the most powerful and influential leaders in the world, as well as internationally known celebrities.

Trump, Meloni, Milei on the Guest List

One of the first announcements came from US President Donald Trump. In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated that he and First Lady Melania Trump will attend the funeral. If this happens, he could become the first sitting American president to do so since 2005, when George W Bush travelled to the Vatican to attend the funeral of John Paul II. 

Another remarkable aspect of the story is that Vice President JD Vance spent Easter weekend in Italy and the Vatican, where he met Pope Francis on Sunday. The pope’s death was announced just hours after their meeting, on Monday morning, making Vance the last foreign leader to speak with him.

Despite their close relationship, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will not be travelling to Rome on Saturday, due to the protocol-based nature of the event. Instead, Hungary will be represented by President Tamás Sulyok. ‘With his personal presence, the Head of State wishes to express the respect and love of the Hungarian people for the Holy Father,’ the Sándor Palace—the office of the President of the Republic—said in a statement. It added that Pope Francis, as a messenger of hope and peace, was committed to faith, humanity, and the protection of those in need, and that he had shown particular love for the Hungarian people.

French President Emmanuel Macron will also attend the funeral on Saturday, as will most EU member states’ heads of state. Italy will be represented by both President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen is also on the guest list. Argentinian President Javier Milei has confirmed his attendance, which comes as no surprise given that Francis was of Argentinian origin, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio. He was the first Latin American pope in the history of the Catholic Church.

According to media reports, Prince William is expected to be the royal representative attending the funeral, possibly accompanied by another senior member of the Royal Family. However, his presence has not yet been officially confirmed. In 2005, then-Prince Charles also attended the funeral of Pope John Paul II.

Heavy-Weight Absentees

Now, a look at who will not be there: Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he will not attend the funeral, which is understandable, as Italy is a member of the International Criminal Court, which issued an arrest warrant for Putin in 2023. Since part of the ceremony will take place outside the Vatican, Italian authorities would be obliged to arrest and surrender the Russian president if he were to attend. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, by contrast, has confirmed that he will attend the ceremony.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will also definitely skip the funeral. However, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry left the question of Chinese participation open on Tuesday. Reacting to the death of Pope Francis, Beijing praised his constructive approach to improving relations between the Vatican and China. Relations between China and the Vatican were severed in 1951, after the Chinese Communist Party came to power and expelled foreign priests. The two sides resumed formal dialogue in 2018, and the agreement on the appointment of bishops was extended for another four years in October 2024.

Historical Ceremony

According to the Holy See, the funeral ceremony will begin at 10am on Saturday morning in St Peter’s Square. After the Mass, the pope’s coffin will be taken to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, where he will be laid to rest. The funeral Mass will be presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, who also presided over the conclave at which Pope Francis was elected.

The Vatican also announced that Pope Francis’s coffin will be transferred to St Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday, where the faithful will be able to pay their final respects at the late head of the Church’s crypt.

Major international news networks are expected to provide live coverage, and the Vatican will likely stream the service online.

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