Pope Francis funeral updates: Services for pontiff set to get underway soon

A Texas nun who advocates for immigrants is making an unexpected journey to Rome for Pope Francis' funeral a decade after the pontiff singled her out for praise during a 2015 ABC News event.

Sister Norma Pimentel has been the face of immigrant advocacy in South Texas for more than a decade, overseeing the Rio Grande Valley in her role as executive director of Catholic Charities.

Speaking to ABC News on Thursday, Pimentel recalled her work with migrant families in 2014 when she helped Border Patrol respond to large groups of families arriving in poor conditions, mostly from El Salvador. She highlighted the community's response at Sacred Heart Parish Hall and discussed the impact of Pope Francis' support.

"I visited Rome and wrote him letters and he sent a video message," Pimentel told ABC News. "After that, I was invited to the Vatican a couple of times to speak and I met the Holy Father as well."

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-ABC News' Mireya Villarreal, James Scholz and Doc Louallen

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump will be in attendance at the funeral, departing for Rome on Friday morning.

Trump is only the second sitting president to attend a pope's funeral, following George W. Bush's attendance at John Paul II's funeral in 2005. Former President Bill Clinton also attended that funeral.

Joe Biden will also attend Saturday's funeral for Francis. He is only the second Catholic president ever and a great admirer of Pope Francis, whom he met twice as sitting president: in October 2021 and June 2024. Former first lady Jill Biden will also attend.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, also a Catholic, will attend the funeral as will former Speaker of the House Rep. Nancy Pelosi.