Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus has arrived in Rome to pay his respects at the funeral of Pope Francis, who passed away on Monday at the age of 88.
Yunus landed in the Italian capital around 2:15pm local time, where he was welcomed by Bangladesh’s Ambassador to Italy, ATM Rokebul Haque, and the Ambassador to the Vatican City, according to Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder.
Earlier in the day, Yunus departed from Qatar at 9:25am local time (12:25pm BST). He was seen off at Hamad International Airport in Doha by Ibrahim bin Yousif Abdullah Fakhroo, Chief of Protocol of the State of Qatar.
Shortly after his arrival in Rome, Prof Yunus was scheduled to visit St Peter’s Square at 3:15pm to pay tribute to the late pontiff. Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, vicar general for Vatican City, is expected to officially receive him and the Bangladeshi delegation at the square.
On Saturday morning, at around 9:30am, Yunus will attend the funeral mass for Pope Francis at St Peter’s Square. He is expected to return to Dhaka in the early hours of Monday.
