ROME, Italy, Apr 25 (V7N) – Nobel Peace Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus paid his respects to the late Pope Francis at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City on Thursday, where the pontiff's body lies in state ahead of his funeral.

Yunus, a strong advocate for poverty alleviation and social business, was officially greeted by Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, the Vicar General of Vatican City, at St. Peter's Square.

The funeral Mass for Pope Francis is scheduled for Saturday at 9:30 am local time, which Yunus will attend.

Pope Francis was known to be a strong supporter of Yunus's work with marginalized communities and his vision for a "Three Zero World," aiming to eliminate unemployment, poverty, and carbon emissions. The Vatican and Yunus had previously collaborated on a joint "Three Zero Initiative" in Rome.

Yunus arrived in Rome earlier in the day, having departed from Qatar, where he was seen off by the Chief of Protocol of the State of Qatar, Ibrahim bin Yousif Abdullah Fakhroo, at Hamad International Airport.

Following the funeral, Yunus is scheduled to depart from Leonardo da Vinci Rome Fiumicino Airport on Sunday morning and is expected to return to Bangladesh early Monday.

END/MSS/RH