*Trump, Macron, Zelenskyy, Starmer, others pay final respects 

*Akpabio leads Nigeria’s delegation

Sunday Ehigiator with agency report

Some world leaders, heads of state and other dignitaries are presently in Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis, the deceased head of the Roman Catholic church.
Nigeria’s Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, is heading the West African country’s delegation to attend the funeral.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, yesterday.

Tinubu sent the five-member delegation, which also includes the Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu; President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji; Archbishop of Sokoto Diocese, Archbishop Matthew Hassan Kukah; and Archbishop of Abuja Diocese, Archbishop Ignatius Ayua Kaigama.

The statement added, “The delegation will formally deliver a letter conveying President Tinubu’s sympathy and condolences on Pope Francis’ passing to the Acting Head of the Vatican.
“On Monday, President Tinubu joined the Catholic faithful and Christians worldwide to mourn the death of Pope Francis, who he described as ‘a humble servant of God, a tireless champion of the poor, and a guiding light for millions,” the statement added.

The Vatican said 164 delegations had confirmed their attendance, including 54 heads of state and 12 reigning sovereigns.
More than 250,000 people paid their last respects to late Pope Francis over three days of public viewing by ordinary mourners and statesmen alike that ended yesterday, the eve of his state funeral at  St. Peter’s Square and burial in a basilica outside the Vatican’s walls.

US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are among those attending the funeral.
Trump, travelled with First Lady Melania Trump.
According to Euro News, among other confirmed attendees included French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Hungarian President Viktor Orbán, Prince William, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain, and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The Vatican had extended the basilica’s opening hours overnight due to the large turnout.
A group of poor and homeless people would meet the pope’s coffin before the funeral today.
His final resting place is being prepared within the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major.

Pope Francis chose to be buried near an icon of the Virgin Mary that he often prayed before.
The late pontiff was laid out in red robes, a bishop’s pointed miter and a rosary entwined in his hands.
One of the mourners, Giovanni Guarino drove from Naples with his girlfriend to bid their final farewells to the deceased Pope, moved by his work to help the young and disadvantaged.

“I hope that his successor follows the footsteps of Francis,” the Associated Press quoted Guarino to have said.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell will preside over the closing and sealing of the coffin in his role of camerlengo, or interim Vatican administrator.
A white cloth will be placed over the pope’s face, and a bag containing coins minted during his papacy will be put in the coffin along with a one-page written account of his papacy.

The work of the conclave to choose a new pope won’t start until at least May 5, after nine days of public mourning.
Cardinals have also been arriving in Rome, with 149 meeting yesterday morning to discuss church business.
They won’t meet again until next week, meaning a conclave date is unlikely to be set until after the funeral.
Cardinal François-Xavier Bustillo, who hosted Francis during his last papal trip, to Corsica last year, remembered Francis as “a free man” who “humanised the church without desacralising it.”

He described the atmosphere inside the meetings as “good,” but said that they weren’t yet “at the point of decisions; we are in discussions.”
In keeping with Francis’ embrace of the marginalised, the Vatican said a group of poor and needy people will meet the pope’s coffin to pay homage to him when it arrives at St. Mary Major Basilica for burial on Saturday. It has already become a point of pilgrimage.

The tomb is being prepared behind a wooden barrier within the basilica that he chose to be near an icon of the Madonna that he revered and often prayed before. The burial will take place in private, the Vatican said.
Photos released by the Vatican yesterday, show the marble tombstone flat against the pavement, with the simple engraving in Latin that he requested in his last testament: “Franciscus.”

Cardinals will visit the St. Mary Major Basilica on Sunday. Entering through the Holy Door, they will visit the Salus Populi Romani icon, which was dear to Francis, and celebrate evening prayers, the Vatican said.

Italy is deploying more than 2,500 police officers and 1,500 soldiers to provide security during the funeral, which is expected to gather about 200,000 mourners in St. Peter’s Square and up to 300,000 people along the 4-kilometer (2½-mile) route from the Vatican to the pope’s burial place across Rome.
The major security operation includes stationing an armed naval vessel off the coast, and putting squads of fighter jets on standby, Italian media reported.

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