Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan Attends Pope Francis’ Funeral

VATICAN CITY – President of the Republic of Armenia, Vahagn Khachaturyan, attended the funeral ceremony of Pope Francis at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.

The ceremony was attended by official delegations from around 180 countries, as well as leaders and representatives from more than a dozen international organizations.

At the conclusion of the event, President Khachaturyan engaged in informal discussions with several counterparts, during which a number of key agenda topics were addressed.

Pope Francis was laid to rest at noon in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore (Saint Mary Major) in Rome, following a two-hour funeral service held at the Vatican.

The 88-year-old head of the Catholic Church had requested prior to his death that his body be buried outside of the Vatican, at his beloved church where he had frequently prayed to the Virgin Mary during his lifetime.

According to Vatican estimates, nearly 150,000 people gathered today to bid farewell to the Pope as the funeral procession made its way through the center of Rome.

Earlier, dozens of world leaders and officials had arrived at St. Peter’s Square to attend the funeral ceremony.