United Nations – UN Secretary-General António Guterres will travel to Rome on Saturday for the funeral and subsequent burial of Pope Francis , his spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, said at his daily press conference on Tuesday.
Likewise, US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, and Brazilian President Luis Inácio Lula da Silva, among others, also confirmed their attendance today.
The spokesperson did not provide any further details about Guterres’ trip, but limited it to a mere “paying respects” to the memory of Pope Francis, and ruled out any speeches or messages he would deliver.
He also rejected the possibility that this moment would serve as a venue for a meeting, formal or informal, between Guterres and Donald Trump, who have not even spoken since last November, following the US president’s victory in the presidential elections.
The UN Secretary General’s similarities with Pope Francis
The spokesperson acknowledged that there was great agreement between Guterres and Pope Francis, especially on three issues: climate change, the defense of migrants, and always standing by the most vulnerable, such as victims of war or disasters
However, Dujarric declined to answer whether Guterres has any expectations for the next pope or what priorities he should have in the upcoming pontificate.
Guterres, a practicing Catholic, wrote a lengthy message on Monday after learning of the pope’s death in which he noted that during Francis’s papacy, the UN “was deeply inspired by his commitment to the goals and ideals of our organization.”
He also highlighted the fact that Francis was “a man of faith for all faiths,” as demonstrated by his work “with people of all beliefs and backgrounds,” referring to his ecumenical work and his conciliatory messages toward the world’s other religions.
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