Why Trump might have to settle for a seat in third row at Pope Francis's funeral

Pope Francis stands with US President Donald Trump during a private audience at the Vatican in 2017 (Picture: AFP via Getty)

Donald Trump may fancy himself the most powerful man on earth,but he will have to settle for second – or even third – fiddle to other global figures at the funeral of Pope Francis.

More than 100 foreign delegations have expressed a desire to attend the ceremony,including 50 heads of state – the US president among them – and 10 reigning monarchs.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols,one of three UK prelates who will take part in the conclave to elect the next pope,predicted the funeral will be a ‘masterpiece’ in stage managing ‘big egos’.

Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims are also expected to pack into St Peter’s Square to bid farewell to Francis,who died on Monday after leading the Catholic church for 12 years.

Italian police have laid on one of the most complex security operations in decades.

How does the seating plan work?

The official delegations will sit at a section to the right of the altar at the top of the steps leading toward St Peter’s Basilica.

Pride of place goes to Argentina,Francis’ native country,whose president,Javier Milei,will sit in the front row.

Milei,a maverick right-wing libertarian,had heaped insults on Francis while he was campaigning in 2023,calling him an ‘imbecile who defends social justice’.

But the president shifted his tone after he took office that year.

A man arranges chairs outside St Peter’s Basilica in preparation for Pope Francis’ funeral (Picture: Vincenzo Nuzzolese/SOPA Images/S)

Next comes Italy,the country that surrounds the Vatican and which agreed in 1929 to recognise its sovereignty as the world’s smallest state.

It gets the second-best seats in the VIP section also because the pope is bishop of Rome and primate of the Catholic bishops of Italy.

That is when the alphabet in French – still considered the language of diplomacy – kicks in for the other delegations.

The countries following Italy are ordered according to their names in French and not in their native languages.

So,it will be Etats Unis and not United States,Allemagne instead of Deutschland (Germany),and Pays-Bas instead of Nederland (The Netherlands).

Royalty will take precedence with reigning monarchs – expected to include the kings and queens of Spain and Belgium and Prince Albert of Monaco – will be seated in front of other heads of state.

People queue in Saint Peter’s basilica to pay their respects to late Pope Francis (Picture: Vandeville Eric/ABACA/Shuttersto)

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said on Friday that no distinction would be made between Catholic and non-Catholic royalty for the seating order.

After the royals come the remaining heads of state.

The alphabetic logic means Trump – currently engaged in trying to get a peace deal in the war in Ukraine – will likely not be sitting near Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Trump once again attacked Zelensky this week,accusing him of blocking his efforts at brokering an end to the conflict.

Former US President Joe Biden,who has been the target of constant criticism by Trump,is attending the funeral,but will not be part of the official US delegation,a diplomatic source said.

This means Biden,a lifelong Catholic,should be sitting further back,with other VIPs.

When does the Pope’s funeral begin?

On Saturday morning,the pope’s coffin will be taken out of the basilica and into the public square for the funeral.

The funeral Mass is due to start at 10am local time (8am here in the UK) with a choir singing introductory rites in Latin.

Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re will deliver the homily and lead the Mass,which is expected to be con-celebrated by 220 cardinals and 750 bishops and priests.

The burial will take place in private,the Vatican said.

Photos released on Friday show the marble tombstone flat against the pavement,with the simple engraving in Latin that he requested in his last testament: ‘Franciscus.’

Cardinals will visit the St Mary Major Basilica on Sunday. Entering through the Holy Door,they will visit the Salus Populi Romani icon,which was dear to Francis,and celebrate evening prayers.

Security measures

Italy is deploying more than 2,500 police officers and 1,500 soldiers to provide security during the funeral,which is expected to gather about 200,000 mourners in St Peter’s Square and up to 300,000 people along the two-mile route from the Vatican to the pope’s burial place across Rome.

The major security operation includes stationing an armed naval vessel off the coast,and putting squads of fighter jets on standby,Italian media reported.