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Trumps arrive at Pope Francis’ funeral
Approximately 200,000 mourners gathered in Rome to honor Pope Francis, often referred to as the “People’s Pope,” during his funeral held in St. Peter’s Square on Saturday morning. Among the distinguished guests were President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, who were provided reserved seating at the ceremonial Mass.
The event saw representation from around 130 nations, which necessitated careful planning of the seating arrangements. Here’s a breakdown of how the seating was organized:
How Pope Francis’ funeral seating chart was arranged
The official delegations were placed in a designated area to the right of the altar outside St. Peter’s Basilica. Being the first pope from South America, it was appropriate for Argentina, the home country of Pope Francis, to have prominent representation. Argentine President Javier Milei was seated in the front row alongside his sister, Karina, who holds the position of general secretary in the presidency. Italian President Sergio Mattarella was also seated in this prominent spot due to the pope’s role as the bishop of Rome.
Following Italy, the seating arrangements were based on the French alphabetical order. Thus, instead of being classified as “U,” the United States was positioned under “E” after its French designation “États-Unis.” As reported by Reuters, reigning monarchs were given precedence over other heads of state in the seating hierarchy.
Where was Donald Trump sitting at the pope’s funeral?
President Trump and the First Lady arrived at St. Peter’s Square around 4 a.m. ET and were escorted to their seats in the front row before the service began. The Trump couple sat alongside Estonian President Alar Karis, King Felipe VI of Spain, and Queen Letizia of Spain. Across the aisle to their right was Finland’s President Alexander Stubb, with whom Trump was observed conversing at the outset of the ceremony.
Other notable leaders in attendance included:
- Prince William of Britain
- U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer
- French President Emmanuel Macron
- Former U.S. President Joe Biden
- Germany’s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier
- Outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz
- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni
- United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres
- EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen
- European Council President Antonio Costa
- Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
- Honduras’ President Xiomara Castro
- Philippines’ President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
- India’s President Droupadi Murmu
- President of the Central African Republic, Faustin-Archange Touadera
- President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Felix Tshisekedi
- President of Cape Verde, Jose Maria Neves
Source
www.cbsnews.com