PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his wife, First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos, will attend the funeral of Pope Francis in Vatican City on Saturday, April 26, 2025.
This was confirmed by Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro to reporters on Wednesday, April 23, 2025.
Marcos earlier expressed deep sorrow over the passing of Pope Francis, locally known as Lolo Kiko, whom he described as the “best pope in my lifetime.”
He remembered the pope’s passion for the centrality of the marginalized and dispossessed and the primacy of their needs in spreading the Gospel.
Pope Francis, 88, died after suffering a stroke and cardiac arrest on Monday, April 21, a day after appearing before the crowd at St. Peter’s Square with a message of “Happy Easter.”
Before his death, he was brought in and out of the hospital due to double pneumonia.
The pontiff’s remains will lie at the St. Peter's Basilica from Wednesday through Friday before his funeral on Saturday to allow people to pay him their final respects.
In the Philippines, several churches and catholic schools in Manila, Quezon City, and Cebu City will have memorial masses for Pope Francis. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)