Joe.My.God. LGBT News
The New York Times reports:
The funeral of Pope Francis will follow a series of centuries-old rituals. On Saturday, a public funeral Mass will be held in front of St. Peter’s Basilica, presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals.
The funeral will be more modest than rites for past pontiffs: Pope Francis last year simplified the rules around papal funerals, with changes that include using only one wooden coffin instead of three. After the Mass, Francis’ body will be interred in the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, where seven other popes are buried.
World leaders and Catholic worshipers from around the world will attend the funeral. Expected attendees include: President Trump, Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, President Javier Milei of Argentina and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil, the world’s largest Catholic country.
USA Today reports:
Pope Francis specified in his last wishes he wanted a “simple” funeral “without particular decoration.” This was in keeping with his aim during his papacy to eschew formalities and bring the Roman Catholic Church closer to the people.
Security experts, however, say the operation to secure the pope’s funeral in front of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City will be anything but uncomplicated and straightforward. It will be attended by dozens of religious and political leaders from around the world, including President Donald Trump, and thousands of ordinary worshipers.
Rome’s police chief, Marcello Fulvi, has said roughly 8,000 security agents will be on hand, including 2,000 uniformed police officers and another 1,400 plain-clothes ones who will patrol the basilica and other surrounding and nearby areas. Crowd barriers have been erected inside and outside the basilica. NATO fighter jets will enforce a no-fly zone. Anti-aircraft missiles and navy warships are on stand-by.
The Guardian reports:
The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, who is subject to an international criminal court arrest warrant over his invasion of Ukraine, would not attend, the Kremlin said.
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and António Costa, the president of the European Council, will both travel to Rome, officials said. Prince William will attend the funeral on behalf of King Charles, Kensington Palace said. Charles and Camilla visited the late pope during a state visit to Italy earlier this month.
Other royal guests include King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain, with Felipe calling the 88-year-old pontiff “an enormous ethical beacon of our world, of our time”.
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