Jakarta. Former President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo arrived in Rome on Friday to attend the funeral of Pope Francis, representing the Indonesian government.

Jokowi was accompanied by former Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan -- who chaired the committee for Pope Francis’ visit to Indonesia last September -- Human Rights Affairs Minister Natalius Pigai, and Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Djiwandono.

At the time of the papal visit, Jokowi was still serving as president.

According to State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi, Jokowi brought a personal letter from President Prabowo Subianto, expressing condolences to the Vatican.

"The government and the Indonesian people -- not only Catholic followers -- are deeply saddened by the passing of Pope Francis," Prasetyo quoted from the letter.

The Vatican will hold a funeral Mass at St. Peter’s Square on Saturday, with numerous heads of state in attendance. Pope Francis, who passed away on Monday at the age of 88 following a stroke, will be laid to rest in a niche within the St. Mary Major Basilica, near his favorite Madonna icon, according to the Associated Press.

The Vatican said it has confirmed the attendance of 130 delegations, including 50 heads of state and 10 reigning monarchs. Among them are US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

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