President Tamás Sulyok will attend the funeral of Pope Francis in the Vatican on Saturday, his Sandor Palace office said in a statement.

The statement said on Tuesday that “with his presence, the president wishes to express Hungarians’ love and respect for the Holy Father. “

Sulyok said that as a “messenger of hope and peace,” Pope Francis had been committed to protecting faith, humanity, and the needy and had shown “especially great love” to Hungarians.

The President wrote in his letter of condolence:

The personality of the “smiling Pope” captivated everyone. All of our personal encounters have given me soul-stirring, beautiful memories.

Péter Magyar will also attend the funeral

The leader of the main opposition party, Péter Magyar, will also attend the funeral, he announced:

I will travel to Rome on Friday and attend the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday.

On his visit to Hungary, Pope Francis said three sentences in Hungarian: “God bless the Hungarian people”, “It is good to be good.” and “It is better to give than to receive.”

Thank you for everything, Holy Father!

If we know of the involvement of any other politician, we will update this article with

When and under what circumstances is the Pope’s funeral?

Pope Francis’s funeral will occur on Saturday, April 26, at 10 a.m. local time in St. Peter’s Square in Rome. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the Dean of the College of Cardinals will preside over the ceremony.

The Pope’s body will be transferred to St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday, April 23, where the faithful can pay their respects for three days. The coffin will be open, but unlike previous tradition, the papal ferula (pastoral staff) will not be placed beside him.

After the funeral, Pope Francis’s coffin will be moved to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore for final burial. This decision is unusual, as popes are typically interred in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Numerous world leaders and faithful will attend the funeral, which will be followed by a nine-day mourning period during which daily masses will be held for the Pope’s soul.

Read here for more news about the relationship between the Vatican and Hungary.

Related article: Pope Francis dies at the age of 88, his legacy lives on in Hungary

UPDATE

Prime Minister Orbán to attend Pope Francis’s funeral

Prime Minister Viktor Orban will attend the funeral of Pope Francis to be held in St. Peter’s Basilica, the PM’s communications department said on Thursday.

Orbán will be a member of the Hungarian state delegation led by President Tamás Sulyok also joined by Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén.