PUTRAJAYA: Minister of Law and Institutional Reform in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, and Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister, Datuk Ewon Benedick, will represent the Malaysian Government at the State Funeral Ceremony for the late Pope Francis, scheduled for April 26 in Vatican City.
The Foreign Ministry confirmed this in a statement on Friday (April 25).
The State Funeral will include a solemn Mass in St Peter’s Square, Vatican City, presided over by the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re.
Following the Mass, a ceremonial procession will accompany His Holiness’s remains to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, where he will be laid to rest in a private interment.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has also expressed his condolences on the passing of Pope Francis on April 21.
In his message, the Prime Minister paid tribute to Pope Francis’s profound contributions to interfaith dialogue, environmental stewardship, and the defence of the marginalised.
On April 23, Ewon had signed the Book of Condolences at the Apostolic Nunciature in Kuala Lumpur, on behalf of the Government of Malaysia. - Bernama
