World leaders are heading to Rome for the inauguration of Pope Francis on Tuesday .

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and his French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault are among key European leaders expected to attend, along with EU President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission head Jose Manuel Barosso.

US Vice President Joe Biden, a practising Catholic, arrived late on Sunday to represent Washington at the event precipitated by the shock resignation of Francis’s predecessor Benedict XVI.

Argentine President Cristina Kirchner is already in Rome as well.

Pope Francis

Zimbabwe’s president ,Robert Mugabe arrived in Rome on Monday.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, a former leftist guerrilla fighter, arrived in Rome and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto is expected.

Chilean President Sebastian Pinera was also in Rome and attended the pope’s first Sunday prayers.