Pres. Bongbong Marcos Pays Tribute for Pope Francis, Malacañang Says President To Fly To Rome
Malacañang confirmed that President Bongbong Marcos and his wife, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, will attend the funeral of Pope Francis.
Countless people across the globe were shocked and saddened by the death of Pope Francis. The Roman Pontiff died after Easter Sunday. Undeniably, it came as a shock to many people as he was seen to be recovering after a few weeks of hospitalization.
Pope Francis was admitted to Gemelli hospital last February 14 due to bronchitis that developed into double pneumonia. He battled against pneumonia for several weeks and even thought that he might not make it.
The Pope reportedly told two (2) people close to him that he might not make it this time. There were several instances when he had respiratory attacks and there were those that left him in a critical condition. He even had to be put under a non-invasive mechanical ventilation several times.
Meanwhile, Pope Francis managed to recover and be discharged from the hospital. He was even able to appear in public last Easter Sunday and gave a short message. However, shortly after the Easter Sunday celebration, the Vatican confirmed the passing of the Roman Pontiff.
Several national leaders issued a statement on the death of Pope Francis. Philippine Pres. Bongbong Marcos paid tribute to Pope Francis whom he has personally met. On his social media post, the Chief Executive described the Pope as “a man of profound faith and humility” who led with wisdom and an open heart for everyone.
“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,” the President wrote.
In his tribute for Pope Francis, Pres. Bongbong Marcos stated that as we mourn the passing of the Roman Pontiff, we also honor a life that brought compassion and hope for many people and became an inspiration for us to love one another as Christ loved us.
Recently, Malacañang confirmed that Pres. Bongbong Marcos and First Lady Liza Marcos will attend the funeral of Pope Francis. Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, the First Couple will fly to Rome but the Palace has yet to issue the details of their trip.
Based on the report, several leaders of other nations have confirmed their attendance to the funeral of the Roman Pontiff. Here are some of the VIPs expected to be present at the burial of the Catholic Church leader:
- US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania
- Argentina President Javier Milei
- Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his wife Janja
- United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres
- UK’s Prince William
- UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer
- EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and European Council head Antonio Costa
- French President Emmanuel Macron
- Ireland President Micheal Higgins
- Germany’s outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz
- Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia
- Poland’s President Andrzej Duda
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife Olena Zelenska
- Hungary’s President Tamas Sulyok
- Portugal’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Prime Minister Luis Montenegro
- Gitanas Nauseda of Lithuania, Edgars Rinkevics of Latvia and Alar Karis of Estonia presidents
- Austria’s Chancellor Christian Stocker
- Belgium’s Prime Minister Bart De Wever, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde
- Slovenian President Natasa Pirc Musar and Prime Minister Robert Golob
- The Netherlands’ King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima
Pope Francis had his last wishes written in a will before he passed away after Easter Sunday.