Bush to attend funeral for Pope John Paul II
U.S. National - AFP WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush will attend the Vatican funeral for Pope John Paul II, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said.
"The president and Mrs Bush plan to attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II," which is set for Friday, McClellan told reporters.
Asked whether former presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton would be part of the US delegation to the funeral, McClellan said the White House was "still finalizing" the list and would say more later in the day.
On Saturday, Bush hailed the pope as "one of history's great moral leaders" and "a hero for the ages."
Cardinals who convened Monday for the first time since the pontiff's death confirmed that he would be buried in St Peter's Basilica, in keeping with tradition, rather than his native Poland.
Announcing details of the funeral arrangements, Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said the requiem mass at 10:00 am (0800 GMT) would be celebrated by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the Vatican's doctrinal enforcer and a possible successor.
Around 200 state and religious leaders are expected to attend the funeral, which Italian authorities say will draw up to two million mourners to Rome.
