WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he and first lady Melania Trump would attend the funeral of Pope Francis, embarking on the first foreign trip of his second term to honor the late spiritual leader.

“Melania and I will be going to the funeral of Pope Francis, in Rome. We look forward to being there!” Trump said Monday in a post to his Truth Social platform.

Francis died at age 88 on Monday in Rome. He had been hospitalized in mid-February with bronchitis, which progressed to life-threatening pneumonia, before leaving the hospital in March. The late pontiff had a history of health issues, including respiratory problems.

Trump praised Francis as a “good man” who “loved the world” after his death.

A day before his death, Francis met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance, a recent Catholic convert, in a meeting the Vatican had described as “cordial.” Earlier this year, Francis denounced Trump’s plans to ramp up deportations of undocumented migrants, saying it would be a “disgrace.” Those comments led Vance to spar with Francis on social media, with the U.S. vice president seeking to tout his Christian beliefs in defense of Trump’s policies.

A readout from the vice president’s office after the meeting with Francis made no mention of immigration matters but in a sermon on Sunday the late pope had urged political leaders to support vulnerable and marginalized people.

The spiritual leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics since March 2013, Francis hailed from Argentina, making him the first pope from the Americas, as well as the first Jesuit to hold that position. He became pontiff after the abdication of Benedict XVI.

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