Francis' funeral will make the Vatican the center of world power.

RomeA heavily armored Rome is preparing to host a global summit of international leaders who will begin arriving in the Italian capital this Friday. to bid farewell to Pope FrancisBetween 150 and 170 delegations with at least fifty heads of state and government have confirmed their presence at the funeral of the Argentine pontiff, who died this Monday at the age of 88.

With an area of 44 square kilometers and just over 700 inhabitants, the Vatican, the smallest state on the planet, will become the center of world power for a few hours on Saturday. One of the first to announce his attendance was the President of the United States, Donald Trump, who will attend with his wife. "Melania and I will attend Pope Francis' funeral in Rome. We can't wait to be there!" the tycoon emphatically wrote on his social network.

The presidential couple will stay at Villa Taverna, the residence of the American ambassador to Italy, Jack Markell, located in the Roman neighborhood of Parioli. This is an area receiving a lot of attention these days from the special operation deployed by the Italian authorities to ensure the security of international leaders, as it is full of embassies and official residences.

The White House resident's trip could involve a reunion in Rome with his predecessor, Joe Biden, who may attend the funeral but not as part of Trump's official delegation, according to local media. "Pope Francis will be remembered as one of the most influential leaders of our time," said the Democrat after learning of the pontiff's death. "He was the people's pope," he added. The second practicing Catholic president of the United States after JFK always seemed in tune with the religious leader on issues such as migrants.

Europe will be widely represented, and among the first to confirm their presence are French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who could take the opportunity to exchange face-to-face talks with Trump, according to her spokesperson.

Most European countries will send a large joint delegation made up of their heads of state and government. Italy will do so with President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who on Wednesday went to say goodbye to Francis at the funeral chapel in St. Peter's Basilica.

Among the European heads of government are Britain's Keir Starmer, Hungary's Viktor Orbán, and acting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Portugal will send a delegation made up of President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, among other officials. The presidents of Finland, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, and Austria, as well as representatives of the main European royal houses, also confirmed their attendance.

Arriving from Buenos Aires, Francisco's hometown, will be Argentine President Javier Milei. one of the fiercest critics of his papacyFrom Brazil, however, one of his closest allies, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, will travel to Rome. He will send an official delegation, the details of which are unknown.

One of the notable absences will be Vladimir Putin, who will send the Minister of Culture and the ambassador to the Holy See to represent Russia. His Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, has confirmed his attendance at the funeral.

The Pope's funeral will reflect the current geopolitical landscape and will leave a photo for history, with feuding international leaders sitting a few feet apart, but it will also highlight the tensions that Francis himself faced as the highest hierarch of the Catholic Church.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry expressed its condolences but did not confirm whether it will send a representative to the funeral. Although communication between Beijing and the Holy See normalized during Francis' pontificate thanks to the pastoral agreement reached in 2018, diplomatic relations have been severed since 1951. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Neta will also not be present in Sant Pere Square in response to the pontiff's criticism of the invasion of Gaza.

Unprecedented security operation

As soon as the pontiff's death was announced, Italy activated the highest level of alert, similar to that for international summits, and reinforced intelligence services. Local authorities estimate that the papal funeral will bring together around one million people in the Vatican's Piazza Sant'Pere this Saturday.

That's why the Ministry of the Interior has deployed an unprecedented security operation that includes 4,000 police officers from various forces: the military, the state police, and the Guardia di Finanza. There will also be snipers at strategic points, drones and aerial surveillance provided by the army, military fighter jets, dog units, and river patrols over the Tiber River, in addition to a no-fly zone covering the entire city, ready to respond to any threat. The operation will intensify as the countdown to the funeral progresses, when the main international delegations will arrive.