Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will extend his week-long trip to Europe to attend the funeral of Pope Francis, who died over the weekend.
Luxon confirmed his attendance on Wednesday morning, NZ time. The funeral will be held in St Peter’s Square in Rome from 8pm on Saturday, NZ time.
World leaders, including US President Donald Trump, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, have confirmed their attendance.
“I will join those at St Peter’s Basilica mourning the loss of Pope Francis, while celebrating his service to the more than one billion Catholics across the world, including almost 450,000 in New Zealand,” Luxon said.
Luxon is in Europe visiting the UK and Türkiye, where he will be attending Anzac Day services at Gallipoli the day before the funeral.
After his funeral, the Pope’s coffin will be taken inside the church and from there taken to the Rome basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore for burial.
The Vatican confirmed the date after publishing the first photographs of Pope Francis in his open coffin, dressed in a red robe with the papal mitre on his head and a rosary in his hand.
The images were taken in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta, Francis’ residence at the Vatican where he died on Monday, age 88.
Cardinals met on Tuesday to set the date for Pope Francis’ funeral, as world leaders from US President Donald Trump to Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy said they would attend to honour the Catholic leader.
The first so-called “general congregation”, called following the death on Monday of Francis, signals the start of a centuries-old tradition that culminates in the election by cardinals of a new pontiff within three weeks.
The Pope was seen during a service on Monday evening in the chapel of Casa Santa Marta, the Vatican residence where he lived during his 12-year papacy, and where he died.
Tributes have poured in from around the globe for Francis, a liberal reformer who took over following the resignation of German theologian Benedict XVI in 2013.
His home country, Argentina, prepared for a week of national mourning while India began three days of state mourning on Tuesday – a rare honour for a foreign religious leader in the world’s most populous nation.
Heads of state and royalty are expected for his funeral with Trump and France’s Emmanuel Macron the first to announce they would attend.
On Tuesday, a source at the Ukrainian presidency told AFP that Zelenskyy, too, would come to Rome.
The funeral should be held between the fourth and sixth days after the Pope’s death, according to the Apostolic Constitution – so between Friday and Sunday this week.
But the details will be decided by the cardinals, whose first of a series of “general congregations” was scheduled for 9am (7am GMT) on Tuesday.
Cardinals of all ages are invited to the congregations, although only those under the age of 80 are eligible to vote for a new pope in the conclave.
The conclave should begin no less than 15 and no more than 20 days after the death of the Pope.
Pope opts for simple tomb, will be laid to rest outside Vatican
The Pope’s body was moved into the Santa Marta chapel on Monday evening, and his apartment formally sealed, the Vatican said.
His remains are expected to be transferred to St Peter’s Basilica starting Wednesday to lie in state.
Francis, who wore plain robes and eschewed the luxury of his predecessors, has opted for a simple tomb, unadorned except for his name in Latin, Franciscus, according to his will released on Monday.
He will be buried in Rome’s Santa Maria Maggiore basilica, becoming the first Pope in more than 100 years to be laid to rest outside the Vatican.
His death certificate released by the Vatican said Francis died of a stroke, causing a coma and “irreversible” heart failure.
He had been discharged from Rome’s Gemelli hospital on March 23 and ordered to spend at least two months resting.
But Francis, who never took a holiday and delighted in being among his flock, made numerous public appearances in recent days.
He appeared exhausted on Sunday during the Easter celebrations, but nevertheless greeted the crowds in his popemobile in St Peter’s Square.
Argentine football great Lionel Messi hailed his compatriot – himself a huge fan of the beautiful game – for “making the world a better place”.
- Additional reporting, AFP