President Donald Trump and his predecessor, Joe Biden, could share an embarrassing moment for Pope Francis funeral on Saturday, the two should be seated nearby. Although the Vatican has not yet published the official details, the funeral of the Polish pontiff John Paul II in 2005 offer an overview of the seats.
Several heads of state, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, are expected to attend the Pope’s funeral. Delegations of more than 130 countries and at least 10 reigning monarchs will also be in Rome.
However, like the funeral of John Paul II, foreign leaders should be seated on one side of the coffin of Pope Francis and members of the church on the other. The Telegraph studied the funeral of the previous Vatican to point out that the Royals such as Prince William and the monarchs of Sweden and Norway would be seated in the two front rows.
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World leaders, including Trump and Biden, should have to share seats in third place.
“For the funerals of John Paul II, European Catholic Royalty, like the King and Queen of Spain and those of Belgium, was a priority and seated at the front,” said Catherine Pepinster, former editor-in-chief of the tablet and commentator of the Catholic Church, at Telegraph.
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“Then come non-Catholic royalty-therefore Prince Charles, representing his mother, Elizabeth II, as well as the Scandinavians and the Dutch. Then, the foreign dignitaries like the American president, who at the time was George W. Bush,” he added.
Biden to attend the funeral of Pope Francis
Newsnation quoted a spokesperson for Biden to point out that the former president and his wife, Jill Biden, should attend the funeral in Rome. The 82-year-old was the second Roman Catholic president of the United States after President Kennedy. He also met Francis several times.
