Biden to attend pope's funeral

Former US president Joe Biden and former first lady Jill Biden will attend the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday, his office told AFP, a tribute to their close relationship.

The couple will travel independently, and not on Air Force One with President Donald Trump, who will also be attending the funeral.

So far, some 50 heads of state and ten reigning monarchs have confirmed their attendance, according to the Vatican.

Biden, a devout Catholic, has often expressed his affection and admiration for Pope Francis. They had several official and private meetings and Biden kept a photo of Francis in the Oval Office during his term.

The Democrat had planned to visit the Vatican at the very end of his term in January to personally present the head of the Catholic Church with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor.

But Biden had to cancel the trip due to violent fires in Los Angeles.

In 2005, US president George W. Bush brought two of his predecessors, Bill Clinton and his father, George Bush Senior, with him to attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II.

Trump on his way to Rome

US President Donald Trump headed to Rome on Friday for the funeral of Pope Francis, the unexpected first foreign trip of his second term in which he will face foreign leaders including Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky.

Trump had a distant relationship with the late pontiff who did not hesitate to criticize him sharply on his signature policy of mass deportations of migrants. 

But Trump will not miss what is set to be a major diplomatic gathering in which some 50 heads of state including 10 reigning monarchs. 

Among them will be Zelensky, in what will be the two leaders' first time together in person since a disastrous White House meeting on February 28.

Trump and Vice President JD Vance in that meeting berated Zelensky, calling him ungrateful for the billions of dollars of US military assistance since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Tensions eased following the meeting, with Ukraine agreeing to a US-led proposal for a one-month unconditional ceasefire, putting the onus on Russia which has not accepted and Thursday carried out its deadliest strike in nearly a year in Kyiv.

Trump, while calling on Russia to stop its attacks, has resumed blaming Zelensky, including pressing him to accept Russia control of Crimea, the peninsula seized by Moscow in 2014.

"Crimea will stay with Russia. And Zelensky understands that," Trump told Time magazine in an interview published Friday.

No meetings have been announced in Rome for Trump, who is due to stay only half a day in the Eternal City.

Trump's trip to Italy comes after he rattled European allies by imposing sweeping tariffs, although he at least temporarily has backed down from the most severe measures.

French President Emmanuel Macron, one leader who has managed to forge a bond with Trump, and outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will both be at the funeral, as will top EU executives Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa.

Also in attendance will be Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a veteran leftist whose vanquished rival Jair Bolsonaro was an ideological soulmate of Trump.

Lula has been critical of Trump but has avoided major confrontation since the Republican billionaire's return.

The funeral will also bring leaders more ideologically in tune with Trump including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and President Javier Milei of Argentina, the late pope's home country.

Trump also paid a brief visit to France after his election but before his inauguration for the reopening of Notre Dame cathedral. Macron brought him together with Zelensky on the sidelines.

Trump's first foreign trip was supposed to be to oil-rich Gulf Arab states, where he is hoping to see business opportunities and press for closer relations with Israel.

He is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates from May 13.