PM De Wever to attend funeral of Pope Francis

Prime minister Bart De Wever will attend the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday, his spokesperson has confirmed. The service will take place in St Peter’s Square in Rome at 10.00.

Earlier on Tuesday, the royal palace confirmed that King Philippe and Queen Mathilde would also attend the funeral of the Pope, who died on Monday at the age of 88. 

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to gather in St Peter's Square for the funeral. After the 10.00 mass, the coffin will be taken to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in central Rome, where the Pope will be buried in accordance with the wishes expressed in his will.

Pope Francis dies aged 88

Pope Francis has died at the age of 88 at his residence Casa Santa Marta, the Vatican has announced.

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Leaders and dignitaries from around the world have confirmed they will attend the funeral, including British prime minister Keir Starmer, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, US president Donald Trump, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and French president Emmanuel Macron.

National mourning

Francis is currently lying in state in the chapel of Casa Santa Marta, where he lived for 12 years. His body will be transferred to St Peter's Basilica at 9.00 on Wednesday, where believers will be able to pay their last respects.

Italy has lowered flags on official buildings to half-mast and declared five days of national mourning. In Belgium, the leader of the Christian democratic party CD&V, Sammy Mahdi, called for flags in Belgium to be flown at half-mast for a day.

^{Mourners in St Peter's Square after the death of Pope Francis at the age of 88. Rome, 21 April 2025 © PHOTO ALESSIA GIULIANI / CPP / HANS LUCAS}

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