ADVERTISEMENTWith Pope Francis’ funeral for Saturday, the Vatican works at full speed to define the details of the ceremony.
In accordance with the wishes of the pontiff, the ceremony will be sober and simple. However, the current geopolitical situation calls for particular attention to the seats agreements for the 170 international delegations in order to prevent the commemoration from becoming an climbing site for diplomatic crises.
As was the case for the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005, most delegations will not be important, but according to alphabetical order – in French.
This means that President Donald Trump of the United States (in French, United States) will not sit alongside President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, but could be positioned between the African States of Eswatini and Ethiopia, and not far from French President Emmanuel Macron, who was recently Trump’s main critic.
This arrangement should however avoid diplomatic embarrassment. The use of alphabetical order in the Italian language would, for example, saw Trump and Zelenskyy sitting unknowably close to each other.
The Ukrainian leader said he had asked for a meeting with his American counterpart on the sidelines of the ceremony at the Vatican, who would be his first face -to -face meeting with Trump since a disastrous visit to the White House earlier this year.
Nothing has been confirmed at the moment, but it is not yet excluded that the two presidents can have informal meetings in the Italian capital.
EU Bigwigs Ursula von der Leyen, António Costa and Roberta Metsola would also consider bilateral talks after the ceremony.
Delegations will remain according to a specific model
There are some exceptions to the alphabetical rule. Representatives of Italy and Argentina, the native country of Pope Francis, will remain in the front row.
Argentine president Javier Milei is expected to arrive in Rome on Friday morning, where he will pay tribute to the deceased pontiff despite their history of personal patients.
The Italian delegation, on the other hand, should be the largest representing a nation, with around 70 people. Among them, President Sergio Mattarella, accompanied by his daughter Laura, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, President of the Senate, Ignazio La Russa; The president of the Chamber of Deputies, Lorenzo Fontana, the president of the Constitutional Court Giovanni Amoroso and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani.
The next in the hierarchy of the seats will be the members of the royal Catholic houses, the great master of the order of Malta, the non -Catholic royal houses and then the representatives of the governments of the other nations. Those represented by a head of state will be seated first, followed by those who send a head of government, then countries represented only by ministers and finally ambassadors.
The civil authorities will be seated on the right side of the forecourt of the Saint-Pierre basilica, while the cardinals will be lined up at the entrance.
Crown prince William de Gales will represent the United Kingdom, as is tradition, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The Royals of Belgium, Sweden, Norway and Monaco will also witness it.
The Spanish Royals, King Felipe and Queen Letizia, will be accompanied by three ministers, but their Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, will be absent.
ADVERTISEMENTThe Dutch Royals, William Alexander and Máxima, will not attend the funeral due to the coincidence of the meeting with the King’s Day, who celebrates the anniversary of the Dutch sovereign. This despite the Argentinian and Catholic maximums, distinguishing it from the Protestant majority from its subjects.
Blatant absences
The most remarkable absent will be the Russian president Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu because the two leaders are under an international arrest warrant for war crimes.
Some Italian media have said that Putin may not be arrested if he came to Italy, but Minister Nordio said it was not possible because the arrest warrant would be activated if the Russian chief arrived in Italy or if the details of his imminent emerging arrival.
Russia will rather be represented on Saint-Pierre square by the Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova.
ADVERTISEMENTIsrael, on the other hand, will only send his ambassador to the Holy See, Yaron Sideman.
The men participating in the ceremony were invited to wear a dark suit with a long black tie and a badge of the same color on the left reverse of their jackets. Women should wear a dress with black gloves and a veil. The only authorized ornamentation is a pearl chain.
