Chief Adviser Honors Pope Francis

Chief Adviser Prof Yunus Pays Tribute to Late Pope Francis at Vatican

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus paid tribute to the late Pope Francis today at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, where the Pope’s mortal remains lie in state ahead of the funeral scheduled for Saturday.

His Most Reverend Eminence Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, Vicar General of His Holiness for Vatican City, formally welcomed the Chief Adviser and the Bangladesh delegation at St. Peter’s Square.

Prof Yunus is expected to return to the Square on Saturday at 9:30 am to attend the Funeral Mass of His Holiness.

Pope Francis, a great admirer of Prof Yunus’s global work for marginalized communities and his vision for a 'Three Zero World'—a world free of unemployment, poverty, and carbon emissions—shared a close friendship with the Bangladeshi Nobel Laureate.

In recognition of their shared vision, the Vatican previously launched a joint “Three Zero Initiative” in Rome with Prof Yunus, Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder told BSS.

Prof Yunus arrived in Rome this afternoon to attend the Pope’s funeral. He landed at approximately 2:15 pm local time and was received by the Bangladesh Ambassadors to Italy and the Vatican City.

Earlier in the day, he departed from Qatar at 9:25 am (12:25 pm BST), where he was seen off at Hamad International Airport by the Chief of Protocol of the State of Qatar, Ibrahim bin Yousif Abdullah Fakhroo.

Following the funeral, Prof Yunus is scheduled to depart from Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport at 8:00 am local time (12:00 pm BST) on Sunday and is expected to arrive in Bangladesh in the early hours of Monday.