Bipartisan delegations of House and Senate lawmakers are en route to 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 senators' delegation, said in a statement Friday.
“As a lifelong Catholic, I am honored to represent the House in paying our respects and praying for the soul of Pope Francis, as Catholics all around the world grieve, and as Church leaders prepare to elect a new pope in the coming weeks,” added House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who is leading the House cohort.
Joining Scalise is former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), as well as Reps. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.), Scott Fitzgerald (R-Wis.), Laura Gillen (D-N.Y.), French Hill (R-Ark.), John Joyce (R-Pa.), Pete Stauber (R-Minn.), Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) and Ann Wagner (R-Mo.).
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.
Many of the lawmakers traveling to Rome heard from Francis in a joint meeting on Capitol Hill in 2015 — the first time a pope 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 first foreign trip since the start of his second administration.
