MOSCOW, April 23 (Bernama-Sputnik/RIA Novosti) -- Leaders of world powers, including Austria, Netherlands and Spain, are expected to attend the funeral of Pope Francis, which will take place on April 26 at St Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.
Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen and Chancellor Christian Stocker will attend the funeral, according to Austrian broadcaster OE24. Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof and Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp are also set to travel to Rome on Saturday for the funeral of Pope Francis, NOS reported, as cited by Sputnik/RIA Novosti.
Spanish King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia will lead the Spanish delegation on Saturday, the RTVE broadcaster reported. However, the full composition of the delegation has not yet been disclosed by the country's government.
"On Saturday, I will take part in the final farewell in the Vatican and, on behalf of all of Slovakia, I will pay tribute to his exceptional personality, which left an indelible mark on me and millions of people," Slovak President Peter Pellegrini said on social media.
Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok will also take part in the funeral, his press service said. At the same time, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, answering a question from Hungarian media, noted that "he cannot say anything about the participation of members of the Hungarian government," in particular, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, in the farewell ceremony for the pontiff, adding that "decisions will be announced as they are made."
Argentine President Javier Milei will fly to Rome on Friday night with a high-ranking government delegation to attend the funeral of Pope Francis, his administration said. The president will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Gerardo Werthein, Security Minister Patricia Bullrich, Human Capital Minister Sandra Pettovello, Cabinet Chief Guillermo Francos, government spokesman Manuel Adorni and Chief of Staff Karina Milei.
--BERNAMA-SPUTNIK/RIA Novosti
BERNAMA provides up-to-date authentic and comprehensive news and information which are disseminated via BERNAMA Wires; www.bernama.com; BERNAMA TV on Astro 502, unifi TV 631 and MYTV 121 channels and BERNAMA Radio on FM93.9 (Klang Valley), FM107.5 (Johor Bahru), FM107.9 (Kota Kinabalu) and FM100.9 (Kuching) frequencies.
Follow us on social media :
Facebook : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatv, @bernamaradio
Twitter : @bernama.com, @BernamaTV, @bernamaradio
Instagram : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatvofficial, @bernamaradioofficial
TikTok : @bernamaofficial
