Paraguayan President Santiago Peña, who prioritized other international engagements over Pope Francis' funeral, will be attending the enthronement of the Argentine pontiff's successor, Senator Derlis Maidana confirmed Wednesday. Peña, currently on a US tour until May 5, 2025, took heavy flak for his absence at the memorial of the first-ever South American head of the Catholic Church.
During his stay in Rome for Pope Francis' funeral, Argentine President Javier Milei had lunch with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and interacted briefly with other leaders such as French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte, but had no direct contact with US President Donald Trump, who had other priorities, like talking to Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky.
Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, and who would become the first Latin American to rule the Catholic Church, was laid to rest Saturday at 1.30pm local time at Rome's Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore -not far from the Argentine Embassy- at his own request. The first papal burial outside the Vatican since 1903 was an almost private ceremony attended by Cardinal Camerlengo Kevin Farrell and family members of the Argentine Jesuit.
St. Peter's Square opened early Saturday to the public for Pope Francis' funeral, expecting over 200,000 attendees and delegations from 130 countries, including 50 top-ranking world leaders. Notable attendees included Argentina’s President Javier Milei, Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Sergio Mattarella, and US President Donald Trump.
Argentine President Javier Milei will be departing Thursday for Rome to attend Pope Francis' funeral at the Vatican. No bilateral meetings have been confirmed with other attending world leaders, such as US President Donald Trump. Milei is due back in Buenos Aires on Sunday.