Russia will be represented at Pope Francis’ funeral on Saturday (26) at the Vatican by the Minister of Culture, Olga Lyubimova, reported Russian Ria Novii on Wednesday (23).
The decision was made by Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to the news of Ria Novii cited by the Italian news agency Ansa.
The Kremlin leader has faced since March 2023 an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), due to the forced deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia.
Olga Lyubimova is, in turn, the target of sanctions from the European Union, the United States and the United Kingdom, under the Ukraine Russian invasion, which began in February 2022, and on charges of attempting to destroy Ukrainian inheritance and cultural identity.
Who will participate in the Pope’s funeral?
A series of world leaders confirmed presence at Saturday’s funeral. Argentine president Javier Milei, Francisco’s country, confirmed that he will travel to Rome on Thursday (24).
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva who had a close relationship with Francisco during the papacy, will also go to the funeral.
French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Stmerer, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are among the leading European leaders traveling to the Vatican.
United States President Donald Trump will also be present.
Thousands of people should accompany the ceremony straight from St. Peter’s Square. About 50,000 people attended the funeral of Bento XVI in 2023, while about 300,000 participated in the wake of João Paulo in 2005.
Russian President Vladimir Putin “has no plans” to attend the event, Kremlin said on Tuesday (22).
As the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant to Putin, police in Italy-one of the 125 member states of the ICC-would be forced to stop it.
This content was originally published in know who Putin will send to the Pope’s funeral on the CNN Brazil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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