Who is Giovanni Battista Re? Everything we know about the Cardinal leading the Pope’s funeral

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 Pope Francis’ funeral in Vatican.

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Cardinal GiovannI Battista Re is the Dean of College of Cardinals[/caption]

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, elect a new pope.

However, only those under 80 years participate in the secret voting which means Cardinal Giovanni will be excluded.

Giovanni presided over the Pope’s funeral 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.”

Reuters

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re leads the funeral Mass of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, April 26, 2025[/caption]

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 Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

No10 said Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will also attend the funeral, along with French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Prince William is also to attend on behalf of the King, Kensington Palace announced.

King Charles and Queen Camilla previously paid tribute to the Pope in a touching statement.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and 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 the most complex security operations ever to 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 in the blog.