Crowds line up to see Pope Francis on last day of public viewing
On the last day of public viewing ahead of Pope Francis’s funeral, tens of thousands of people lined up to see him.
WASHINGTON − Former President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will attend Saturday’s funeral for Pope Francis in Vatican City, a source familiar with the plans told USA TODAY.
Their attendance will mark the first time the Bidens have been together with President Donald Trump and his family since the Jan. 20 inauguration.
Joe Biden, a devout Catholic, had been scheduled to travel to Rome to meet with Francis during the final days of his presidency, but the trip was canceled amid devastating wildfires in Los Angeles. It would have been Biden’s final overseas trip as president.
Biden met with Francis in 2024 while he was in Italy for the G7 summit. He also met the pontiff in 2021 when he was in Rome for the Group of 20, or G20, summit.
Last week, Biden turned to the national political stage to deliver a blistering speech on Trump’s efforts to fire workers at the Social Security Administration, arguing that his moves has jeopardized the future of Social Security.
Francis, 88, died on April 21 after suffering a stroke. He has been lying in state since Wednesday in St. Peter’s Basilica, the papal enclave in Rome.
The pope’s funeral is set to begin at 10 a.m. local time (4 a.m. ET) on April 26. More than 200,000 people are expected to attend the funeral, set for St. Peter’s Square, the famous large plaza in front of the basilica in Vatican City.
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