Marcos to attend Pope Francis’ funeral

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Marcos joins several world leaders who have previously announced they would be attending the funeral of Pope Francis

MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is set to join fellow world leaders in the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday, April 26, Malacañang said on Wednesday, April 23.

Marcos will be accompanied by his wife, First Lady Liza Marcos, Palace press officer Undersecretary Clarissa Castro told reporters.

Francis, 88, died on Monday, April 21, following a stroke and cardiac arrest. He had spent more than a month in the hospital for double pneumonia. The pontiff made a public appearance on Easter Sunday, April 20 — his last before passing on Easter Monday.

Scores of world leaders — including US President Donald Trump, the Prince of Wales, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva — have previously said that they would be attending Francis’ burial.

Pope Francis, who was chosen by his peers in the College of Cardinals in 2013, was not only the Bishop of Rome and the head of the entire Roman Catholic Church, he was also head of state of Vatican City.

Hundreds of thousands are expected to flock to the tiny city-state on April 26 to witness the funeral of Francis, who was wildly popular around the world as pontiff.

Francis’ remains, dressed in vestments and holding a rosary, has been lying in state in an open coffin at the chapel of the Santa Marta residence since April 23.

Marcos on Monday expressed grief over Francis’ passing, calling him the “best pope in my lifetime.” Prior to being President, Marcos met Francis at least twice — in 2014, during a visit to the Vatican, and in 2015 when the Pope visited the Philippines for a pastoral and state visit.

His January 2015 visit was among the keystone moments of his papacy, particularly for Catholics in this part of the world. Francis held events across Metro Manila and visited a Leyte province still reeling from the devastation of Super Typhoon Yolanda, which was then the strongest storm to make landfall.

Wearing a yellow raincoat, the Pope heard mass in a makeshift altar at the airport before meeting survivors of Yolanda, as well as survivors of an earthquake that devastated nearby Bohol province.

Marcos traces his roots to Leyte and the city of Tacloban through his mother, former district representative and first lady Imelda Marcos.

“By example, Pope Francis taught us that to be a good Christian is to extend kindness and care to one another. His humility brought many back to the fold of the Church,” Marcos said of the late Pope.

Among Francis’ last official engagements included a private meeting with US Vice President JD Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019. Before his long hospital stay, Francis called Trump and Vance’s anti-immigrant policy a “disgrace.”

Pope Francis’ legacy includes his push for inclusion, compassion, and mercy, especially towards the most marginalized of society — migrants, the LGBTQ+, and Palestinians who have suffered the most from Israel’s war on Gaza. – Rappler.com