CARDINAL Giovanni Battista Re has spent over 50 years serving in the Roman curia.
The 91-year-old Dean of the College of Cardinals has been appointed with leading
Who is Giovanni Battista Re?
Giovanni Battista Re was born in Borno, Italy on January 30, 1934.
He was ordained a priest in Brescia in 1957.
Giovanni was a professor at the Brescia seminary and graduated with a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical Gregorian.
He then joined the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in 1961 to train for a career in diplomacy.
He joined the Roman curia in 1963, marking the start of his career at the Vatican.
According to the Holy See Press Office, he worked as a personal assistant to Archbishop Giovanni Benelli after serving on missions in Panama and Iran.
He served as the Substitute for General Affairs of the Vatican's Secretariat of State for over ten years, overseeing the day-to-day activities of the Holy See.
In 2001, he was elevated to the rank of Cardinal.
From 2020, Cardinal Giovanni has been the Dean of the College of Cardinals – a body of the highest ranking members of the Catholic Church who, in a secretive process known as a papal conclave, .
However, only those under 80 years participate in the secret voting which means Cardinal Giovanni will be excluded.
Giovanni presided over on April 26.
Cardinal Battista said Francis was “a Pope among the people, with an open heart towards everyone”.
The Cardinal said: “He established direct contact with individuals and peoples, eager to be close to everyone, with a marked attention to those in difficulty, giving himself without measure, especially to the marginalised, the least among us.”
Who else is attending the Pope's funeral?
The Pope's funeral is expected to draw world leaders and thousands of mourners from around the globe.
This includes President and his wife, Melania, as well as Ukrainian President .
No10 saidPrime Minister Sirwill also attend the funeral, along with French Presidentand Italian Prime Minister.
is also to , Kensington Palace announced.
and previously .
European Commission Presidentand European Council President António Costa are also expected to attend.
This surge in famous visitors to the tiny 0.44sqkm country has prompted one of theto be launched.
How can I watch the ceremony?
The Vatican News YouTube channel will stream the ceremony live.
Many TV channels including CNN, ABC and BBC will also be broadcasting live.
The Sun will provide live coverage of the event
