A bipartisan Senate delegation will attend the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome on Saturday.
“It is a tremendous honor to be selected to lead this bipartisan delegation of United States Senators to Rome to attend the funeral of Pope Francis and pay our respects to his life and legacy,” Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who is leading the trip, said in a statement Friday.
Democratic Sens. Dick Durbin of Illinois and Ed Markey of Massachusetts will join Republican Sens. Mike Rounds of South Dakota and Eric Schmitt of Missouri as part of the Collins-led Senate contingent.
The group marks the first official congressional delegation to announce plans to attend the pope’s funeral, though House members have also discussed traveling to Rome for the event. Lawmakers heard from Francis in a joint meeting on Capitol Hill in 2015 — the first time a pope has ever delivered such an address.
Francis had struggled with health issues in recent years and died at 88 on Easter Monday after a stroke. Tens of thousands of mourners have also lined up to view him lying in state inside St. Peter’s Basilica ahead of the funeral this weekend.
In addition to the showing from Capitol Hill, President Donald Trump is one of several heads of state expected to attend the funeral. It will mark Trump’s foreign trip since the start of his second administration.
