Biden to attend Pope Francis’ funeral

Former President Joe Biden, who maintained a close working and personal relationship with Pope Francis dating back to the late pontiff’s visit to the United States in 2015, will attend the papal funeral Saturday in Vatican City, Biden’s office confirmed Friday.

Former first lady Jill Biden will also be traveling with her husband to Italy for the funeral.

Francis began his papacy in 2013 during the Obama administration, but former President Barack Obama is not planning to attend, according to a spokesman.

President Trump and first lady Melania Trump are set to fly Friday morning to Rome for the Saturday funeral.

Pope Francis, who had battled health issues for months, died Monday at the age of 88 following a stroke.  

He has been lying in state at St. Peter’s Basilica since Wednesday, where tens of thousands of mourners have come to pay their final respects.

Among those heads of state attending the funeral will be Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Argentinian President Javier Milei.

contributed to this report.

Ed O’Keefe

Ed O’Keefe is CBS News senior White House and political correspondent. He previously worked for The Washington Post covering presidential campaigns, Congress and federal agencies. His primary focus is on President Biden, Vice President Harris and political issues across the country.