Italy Jewish Community Leader to Attend Pope’s Funeral

Vatican City: The president of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI), Noemi Di Segni, is set to attend Pope Francis’s funeral taking place at St Peter’s on Saturday, as announced by the UCEI on Wednesday.

According to Ansa News Agency, the UCEI described the attendance as “a dutiful tribute from all Italian Judaism, for what the pontiff represents in Italy and throughout the world, in the mutual commitment to dialogue and for every possible effort in affirming the culture of coexistence.”

In related developments, Senate Speaker Ignazio La Russa expressed hope that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would send a message regarding the pope’s passing. This comes after the Israeli foreign ministry removed a condolence message from its website on Tuesday, which led to protests from ambassadors.