According to Vatican protocol, US President Donald Trump will not be seated in the front row at Pope Francis’ funeral.
On Saturday, prominent global leaders will arrive in Rome to join tens of thousands of Catholic mourners at the meticulously planned funeral of the Pontiff.
Although Trump was among the earliest heads of state to confirm his presence at the historic memorial, he is likely to be placed in the third-tier row of dignitaries.
Foreign dignitaries will be positioned in a section to one side of Francis’ coffin, while archbishops, bishops, patriarchs, and cardinals will be seated across from them. However, Vatican protocol indicates that when Trump enters St Peter’s Basilica on Saturday morning, he may not even secure a spot in the second row.
Representatives from approximately 130 countries, including 50 heads of state and 10 reigning monarchs, are traveling to Rome for the Pope’s funeral following his passing on Monday.
“However, a good time for our president to get to know the leaders of certain Third World countries.” Trump claimed the situation would have been different if he were president, adding: “If I were president, they wouldn’t have sat me back there – and our Country would be much different than it is right now.”
He further remarked: “In real estate, like in politics and in life, location is everything.” The Pope’s funeral will represent the largest assembly of world leaders since Trump’s January inauguration.
The seating arrangements might lead to diplomatic unease, according to Catherine Pepinster, a former editor of The Tablet and a commentator on the Catholic Church, who spoke to The Telegraph.
She noted: “One of the interesting aspects of a ceremony such as this is that the Holy See has diplomatic relations with countries such as Russia and Iran, which may mean that world leaders who would not usually meet, would encounter one another in Rome, either the night before the funeral or at the actual ceremony.”
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