- NEW DELHI — President Droupadi Murmu, on Friday, departed for the Vatican
City to attend the state funeral of Pope Francis along with the Union Minister
for Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs, Kiren Rijiju.
-
- The delegation also includes the Minister of State for
Minority Affairs and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, George Kurian;
and Deputy Speaker of Goa Assembly, Joshua De Souza.
-
- Pope Francis passed away on April 21 at the age of 88,
according to a statement from the Vatican.
-
- During her two-day visit from April 25-26, President
Murmu will represent India at the State funeral and offer condolences on behalf
of the government and the people of India, the Ministry of External Affairs
(MEA) said in an official statement on Thursday.
-
- In a press release, MEA said, "His Holiness Pope
Francis will be remembered as a beacon of compassion, humility and spiritual
courage by millions across the world."
-
- On April 25, the President will lay a wreath at the Saint
Peter's Basilica in Vatican City to pay tribute to the late pontiff.
-
- She will attend the funeral Mass on April 26 at Saint
Peter's Square in Vatican City, which is expected to be attended by several
global leaders and dignitaries, according to a brief statement by the MEA.
-
- The Vatican on Thursday said at least 130 foreign
delegations had confirmed their attendance at Pope Francis' funeral, including
50 heads of state and 10 reigning monarchs.
-
- Heads of state and royals who have confirmed their
attendance include US President Donald Trump, UK's Prince William, French
President Emmanuel Macron, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain, and
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Read: Nagaland joins 3-day state mourning on passing of Pope Francis
-
- Following Pope Francis' death, Prime Minister Narendra
Modi expressed condolences and said the Pope's affection for the people of
India would always be remembered.
-
- "Deeply pained by the passing of His Holiness Pope
Francis. In this hour of grief and remembrance, my heartfelt condolences to the
global Catholic community. Pope Francis will always be remembered as a beacon
of compassion, humility and spiritual courage by millions across the world.
From a young age, he devoted himself towards realising the ideals of Lord
Christ. He diligently served the poor and downtrodden. For those who were
suffering, he ignited a spirit of hope," PM Modi said in a post on X.
-
- "I fondly recall my meetings with him and was
greatly inspired by his commitment to inclusive and all-around development. His
affection for the people of India will always be cherished. May his soul find
eternal peace in God's embrace," the Prime Minister said.
-
- On April 22, Minister of State for External Affairs and
Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Kirti Vardhan Singh visited the
Apostolic Nunciature in New Delhi to sign the condolence book.
-
- Earlier, India had declared three days of state mourning
to mark the Pope's passing.
-
- India on Thursday declared that state mourning will be
observed on April 26 in honour of the funeral of His Holiness Pope Francis, the
Supreme Pontiff of the Holy See.
-
- Union Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday made the
declaration through a statement, and further announced that the National flag
will be flown at half-mast on the day throughout India on all buildings where
it is flown regularly and there will be no official entertainment.
-
- Pope Francis was the first Latin American pontiff to lead
the Roman Catholic Church after taking over from Pope Benedict XVI on March 13,
2013.
-
- The dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista
Re, will lead the funeral service. At the end of the funeral, Cardinal Re will
deliver the final commendation -- a concluding prayer in which the Pope will be
formally entrusted to God -- and the body will be moved to St. Mary Major for
burial.
