Former US president Joe Biden and former first lady Jill Biden will attend the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday, his office told AFP, a tribute to their close relationship.
The couple will travel independently — and not on Air Force One with President Donald Trump, who will also be attending the funeral.
So far, some 50 heads of state and ten reigning monarchs have confirmed their attendance, according to the Vatican.
Biden, a devout Catholic, has often expressed his affection and admiration for Pope Francis. They had several official and private meetings and Biden kept a photo of Francis in the Oval Office during his term.
EDITORS NOTE: Graphic content / Late Pope Francis lies in state in a coffin, as visitors queue to pay their respects at St Peter’s Basilica at The Vatican, on April 25, 2025. (Photo by Tiziana FABI / AFP)Visitors enter the Church of St Ignatius of Loyola at Campus Martius past a placard in Rome on April 25, 2025. The Vatican on April 25, 2025, said over 128,000 people have already paid their respects to Pope Francis, whose body is lying in state in St Peter’s Basilica ahead of his funeral set for April 26, 2025. (Photo by Andrej ISAKOVIC / AFP)
The Democrat had planned to visit the Vatican at the very end of his term in January to personally present the head of the Catholic Church with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honour.
But Biden had to cancel the trip due to violent fires in Los Angeles.
In 2005, US president George W. Bush brought two of his predecessors, Bill Clinton and his father, George Bush Senior, with him to attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II.
Nuns pose for a smartphone picture with the St Peter’s Basilica in the background near the Vatican on Via della Conciliazione street a day prior to the late Pope’s funeral in Rome on April 25, 2025. (Photo by JEFF PACHOUD / AFP)A priest holds an image depicting Pope Francis (centre R) and Mother Teresa as he queues to pay his respects to the late Pope, a day prior to the Pope’s funeral, in Rome on April 25, 2025. (Photo by MARCO BERTORELLO / AFP)A young woman takes a picture of a ceiling fresco painting with a smartphone as she visits Church of St Ignatius of Loyola at Campus Martius in Rome on April 25, 2025. (Photo by Andrej ISAKOVIC / AFP)
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OKPrivacy policy
