【随時ずいじ更新こうしん】フランシスコ教皇きょうこうの葬儀そうぎが始はじまる

The funeral of Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church began in the square in front of St. Peters Basilica in the Vatican at around 5 p.m. Japan time on the 26th.

The funeral of Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church, who passed away on the 21st of this month, began a little after 10 a.m. on the 26th a little after 5 p.m. Japan time, and a memorial Mass is being held in the square in front of St. Peters Basilica in the Vatican.

The Holy See says that about 160 diplomatic delegations will attend.

Also, many ordinary people have visited, and local media report that the number is expected to reach hundreds of thousands.

After the Mass, in accordance with his will, Pope Franciss body is scheduled to be buried not in St. Peters Basilica in the Vatican, where many former popes have been laid to rest, but in the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome.

Pope Francis has expressed in his will that he wishes for a simple grave.

He also advocated for the resolution of conflicts in various regions and the importance of dialogue during his lifetime, and even the day before his death, he called for a just and lasting peace to be achieved in Ukraine, where Russias military invasion continues.

In conjunction with the Popes funeral, another focus is whether diplomatic efforts regarding a ceasefire in Ukraine will take place among world leaders such as U.S. President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky.

President Zelensky Arrives in Rome Multiple Ukrainian media outlets reported on the 26th that President Zelensky arrived in the Italian capital, Rome, to attend the funeral of Pope Francis.

The seating arrangement for the funeral will be as follows: The funeral Mass for Pope Francis will be held in the square in front of St. Peters Basilica in the Vatican.

With St. Peters Basilica in front of you, the cardinals and other clergy sit on the left side, while diplomatic delegations from around the world are seated on the right.

The seating order is as follows: first comes the Popes home country, Argentina, then Italy, followed by the royal families and leaders of various countries. In accordance with diplomatic protocol, they are seated in alphabetical order based on their French names.

If we go by the French spelling, President Trump of the United States is expected to be seated in the front row.

Reuters reports that President Trump will be seated away from President Zelensky, who is drawing attention over whether he will hold talks regarding a ceasefire in Ukraine.

Former U.S. President Biden, who has been repeatedly criticized by President Trump, is also scheduled to attend the funeral, but since he is not a member of the official diplomatic delegation, it is expected that he will be seated toward the back.