US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are on their way back after attending the minimalist funeral of Pope Francis, the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Unlike reported earlier by The UK Telegraph that Trump would get a third-row seat at the funeral, the President and the first lady were seated at a prominent spot in the first row.
The couple was seated beside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was more appropriately dressed for the event compared to Trump as the latter was in a blue suit, which goes against Catholic customs. He even received backlash from the online community. Zelensky, on the other hand, received applause from the crowd on his arrival.
From home turf to French Alphabet: How seats are chosen at papal funerals
The arrangement at Pope Francis's funeral marks a departure from what was followed at the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005.
At papal funerals, seating arrangements are carefully organised based on tradition and protocol. Argentina, being Pope Francis’s native country, and Italy, which hosts the Vatican, are given pride of place with the best front-row seats. After them, the rest of the countries are seated according to the French alphabet, following diplomatic tradition. For example, the United States is listed as “États-Unis” and Germany as “Allemagne.”
Non-official attendees, like Joe Biden at Pope Francis’s funeral, are seated further back among other VIPs.
Biden too arrived at the pope's funeral on Saturday, but was seated much further back.
Pope Francis was buried on Saturday at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, the first pope to be buried outside the Vatican in over a century.
End of an era
Pope Francis passed away on Easter Monday, on April 21, after suffering a stroke and heart failure. More than 2,50,000 people joined the funeral at St. Peter's Square and the funeral mass lasted 2 hours and 10 minutes. The coffin was then moved to St. Peter's Basilica, from where the procession to the final resting place started.
The church where the Pontiff was laid to rest houses his favorite icon of the Virgin Mary, to whom he had a deep devotion.
US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, apart from heads of 50 other countries attended the funeral. Prince William, French President Emmanuel Macron, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and European Council President António Costa were also present.
The couple was seated beside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was more appropriately dressed for the event compared to Trump as the latter was in a blue suit, which goes against Catholic customs. He even received backlash from the online community. Zelensky, on the other hand, received applause from the crowd on his arrival.
From home turf to French Alphabet: How seats are chosen at papal funerals
The arrangement at Pope Francis's funeral marks a departure from what was followed at the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005.
At papal funerals, seating arrangements are carefully organised based on tradition and protocol. Argentina, being Pope Francis’s native country, and Italy, which hosts the Vatican, are given pride of place with the best front-row seats. After them, the rest of the countries are seated according to the French alphabet, following diplomatic tradition. For example, the United States is listed as “États-Unis” and Germany as “Allemagne.”
Non-official attendees, like Joe Biden at Pope Francis’s funeral, are seated further back among other VIPs.
Biden too arrived at the pope's funeral on Saturday, but was seated much further back.
Pope Francis was buried on Saturday at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, the first pope to be buried outside the Vatican in over a century.
End of an era
Pope Francis passed away on Easter Monday, on April 21, after suffering a stroke and heart failure. More than 2,50,000 people joined the funeral at St. Peter's Square and the funeral mass lasted 2 hours and 10 minutes. The coffin was then moved to St. Peter's Basilica, from where the procession to the final resting place started.
The church where the Pontiff was laid to rest houses his favorite icon of the Virgin Mary, to whom he had a deep devotion.
US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, apart from heads of 50 other countries attended the funeral. Prince William, French President Emmanuel Macron, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and European Council President António Costa were also present.
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