Taoiseach Micheál Martin to attend Pope Francis' funeral
Photo provided by The Vatican of Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday, pictured lying in a wooden coffin dressed in red, with rosary beads draped across his hands.Photo: Vatican Media/PA Wire
Taoiseach Micheál Martin is among the world leaders set to attend the funeral of Pope Francis in the Vatican on Saturday.
Tánaiste and foreign affairs minister Simon Harris will also be in attendance.
The late pontiff will be buried on Saturday, following his death on Easter Monday aged 88.
His body will be laid out for public view from tomorrow in St Peter’s Basilica, so mourners can pay their respects to a man dubbed the People’s Pope.
The Taoiseach and Tánaiste will join the British Prime Minister Kier Starmer for the service, alongside other leaders including US President Donald Trump, who had already said on social media that he and his wife Melania plan to attend the funeral.
Details of the Pope’s funeral mass, due to take place at 10am local time (9am BST) in St Peter’s Square and celebrated by the dean of the College of Cardinals, were confirmed on Tuesday.
The news came as the first images of the late pontiff were published.
Francis’s body was pictured lying in a private chapel in a wooden coffin dressed in red, with rosary beads draped across his hands.
His death, following a cerebral stroke that led to a coma and irreversible heart failure, prompted an outpouring of tributes across the globe.
App?
