The President, Michael D Higgins, has travelled to Rome with his wife Sabina to attend the funeral of Pope Francis.
They are to pay their respects at the lying in state of the late Pontiff in St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on Friday.
On Saturday, the President and his wife will return to St Peter’s Square where they will join heads of state, heads of government and their delegations from around the world attending the funeral.
In a statement, Mr Higgins said that, as President of Ireland, he was pleased to communicate the appreciation of all of the people of Ireland for the life, documents and contacts to the most vulnerable made by Francis, whom he was honoured to have met on five occasions.
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“The world was struck by the generosity given by Pope Francis, right until the very last moments of his life, in terms of seeking to embrace, as he put it, all of humanity,” the President said.
Through his life and his work, Francis led by example in embracing so many of the most important issues facing humanity, Mr Higgins said.
Mr Higgins said that, in attending the funeral and celebrating the life of Francis, it was important to stress his work on our shared humanity and on the importance of peace, sustainability and rights.
Following the funeral, the President is to visit the Pontifical Irish College, where he will meet the rector, Fr Paul Finnerty, the vice-rector, Fr Emmanuel Obi, and members of the wider community at the college.
