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US President Donald Trump on Monday said he and his wife Melania plan to travel to Rome to attend Pope Francis’ funeral, in what would be Trump’s first trip abroad since taking office in January.
“Melania and I will be going to the funeral of Pope Francis, in Rome,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. “We look forward to being there!”
Pope Francis died on Monday morning aged 88 after suffering a stroke and subsequent heart failure, according to the Vatican.
His funeral will nevertheless be a global event, with heads of state and government from around the world expected to attend.
Cardinals are expected to meet in the Vatican on Tuesday to discuss the funeral arrangements, with the burial usually taking place four to six days after death.
Just hours before his death, Francis briefly met Trump’s deputy, Vice-President J.D. Vance, on Sunday, who has made a number of trips abroad since the new administration took office.
For Trump, however, it would be the first foreign trip since returning to the White House on January 20.


The pontiff, who led the Catholic Church for 12 years, has opted to be buried outside the Vatican’s walls after initiating new rules for a more modest funeral ceremony before his death.
His last wishes were revealed in his will published on Monday, in which he asks to be buried in a simple, unadorned tomb inside his beloved Roman basilica, Santa Maria Maggiore (Saint Mary Major).
“Feeling that the sunset of my earthly life is approaching and with lively hope in Eternal Life, I wish to express my testamentary will only as regards the place of my burial,” wrote the pope in his will dated June 29, 2022, that was published on Monday by the Vatican.
“I ask that my mortal remains rest awaiting the day of the resurrection in the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore,” wrote the pope, who sought to visit the important Catholic sanctuary before and after every trip he took as pontiff.
In his will, Francis specified the exact spot in the side nave of the basilica for his tomb, even including an attached diagram for clarity, and said the burial expenses had been arranged in advance.
“The tomb must be in the earth; simple, without particular decoration and with the only inscription: Franciscus.”
In closing his will, the spiritual leader of the world’s Catholics asked the Lord to “give the deserved reward to those who loved me and will continue to pray for me”.
“I offered the suffering that became present in the last part of my life to the Lord for world peace and brotherhood among peoples.”
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse


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Pope Francis

Trump says he will attend funeral of Pope Francis in Rome

US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump at an Easter event at the White House on Monday. Trump said he and Melania will attend Pope Francis’ funeral in Rome. Photo: Zuma Press Wire/dpa

Pope Francis’ death mourned globally by Russia’s Putin, UK’s King Charles, France’s Macron

Britain’s King Charles said he was “most deeply saddened” about the death of Pope Francis. Photo: Vatican Media/Reuters

Pope Francis meets with Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla during a private audience at the Vatican on April 9. Photo: Vatican Media/­Reuters

Pope Francis walks next to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the occasion of their private audience at the Vatican, in June 2015. Photo: AP

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky meets Pope Francis in June 2024, on the sidelines of the second day of the G7 Summit. Photo: EPA-EFE/Ukrainian presidential press service

French President Emmanuel Macron greets Pope Francis in June 2018. Photo: AP

Who will succeed Pope Francis? Exploring potential candidates from Vatican circles

A person stands next to a photograph of Pope Francis inside Saint Anthony Catholic Church in Istanbul, Turkey on Monday. Photo: AP

Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo was twice elected head of the Council of European Episcopal Conference. Photo: AP

Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the archbishop of Munich and Freising, offered to resign as archbishop to atone for the German church’s dreadful abuse record. Photo: AP

Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet has defended priestly celibacy for the Latin Rite church and upheld the ban on women’s ordination. Photo: AP

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, has been the Secretary of State of the Holy See since 2014. Photo: AP

If Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost replaced Pope Francis, he would become the first American pontiff. Photo: AP

Cardinal Robert Sarah, is considered the best hope for an African pope. Photo: AP

Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn has expressed support for civil unions and women as deacons. Photo: AP

Cardinal Luis Tagle of the Philippines, who has Chinese lineage could become the first Asian pope. Photo: AP

Cardinal Matteo Zuppi Francis’ was named Francis’ peace envoy for Russia’s war in Ukraine. Photo: EPA-EFE

What happens after Pope Francis’ death?

Pope Francis swaps his skull cap during the weekly general audience at the Vatican in January 2024. The death of the pontiff triggers several rituals, including mourning, a funeral, and a conclave. Photo: AFP

During the “sede vacante” period, Irish-American Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the camerlengo, will manage the ordinary affairs of the 1.4 billion-member Roman Catholic Church. Photo: AP

Pope Francis greets thousands of members of the association of Italian Catholic Guides and Scouts in Vatican City, in June 2015. Cardinals will elect a new pope, announced by white smoke from Sistine Chapel. Photo: EPA-EFE

Vance meets Pope Francis amid row over Trump’s migrant plans

Pope Francis meeting with US Vice-President J.D. Vance in The Vatican. Photo: AFP

Protesters hold signs as they march towards the White House during a ‘Free Kilmar Abrego Garcia’ and anti-Trump rally in Washington on Saturday. Administration officials have claimed Abrego Garcia he is an illegal migrant, a gang member and involved in human trafficking without providing evidence. Photo: AFP

Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88, on Easter Monday

Pope Francis waves at the general audience at Saint Peter’s Square in the Vatican in October 2022. Photo: AFP

The Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome following the death of Pope Francis on Monday. The Vatican said Francis had confirmed in his final testament his wish to be to be buried at the basilica. Photo: AFP

A man shows a copy of the Vatican’s L’Osservatore Romano newspaper after a rosary prayer for the late pope, in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican in Rome on Monday. Photo: AP

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In what will be Trump’s first trip abroad since taking office in January, president said he and wife Melania ‘look forward to being there!’


In what will be Trump’s first trip abroad since taking office in January, president said he and wife Melania ‘look forward to being there!’.


Trump says he will attend funeral of Pope Francis in Rome

In what will be Trump’s first trip abroad since taking office in January, president said he and wife Melania ‘look forward to being there!’

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