Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus will travel directly from Doha to Rome, Italy, to attend the funeral of Roman Catholic pontiff Pope Francis.

“The Chief Adviser will leave Doha for Rome next Friday,” Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said.

Prof Yunus is now on a four-day official visit to Qatar.

Prof Yunus’s personal relations with Pope Francis were excellent, Alam said, the Chief Adviser will attend the Pope’s funeral to pay his last respects to his friend.

The funeral of Pope Francis, whose death prompted an outpouring of grief among Catholics worldwide, will be held on Saturday, according to an announcement of Vatican City.

Pope Francis, an energetic reformer who inspired widespread devotion from Catholics but riled traditionalists, died on Monday aged 88.

The Argentine pontiff, leader of the Catholic Church since March 2013, spent 38 days being treated for double pneumonia at Rome's Gemelli hospital before seeming to recover, leaving the facility on 23 March.

His death came just a day after he delighted the crowds of worshippers at the Vatican City on Easter Sunday with an appearance, looking frail, on the balcony at Saint Peter’s Basilica.