Ukraine's opportunity used. St. Square Piotr became a high -rate diplomacy center on Saturday
The death of the Pope at the beginning of this week after a long illness caused feverish preparations for the Saturday funeral, in which – according to the Vatican – about 250,000 took part. people, including dozens of heads of countries, high -ranking politicians and dignitaries, as well as celebrities, clergy, activists and ordinary faithful.
The presence of so many world leaders in one place overshadowed funeral ceremonies, and St. Square Piotr has become a high rate diplomacy center.
Diplomacy in the shadow of the funeral
When Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re read a homily dedicated to the deceased Pope, emphasizing his merits and humility, journalists gathered on the colonnades of St. Piotr focused their attention on the movements of the US President Donald Trump. Through the binoculars they followed his every accidental meeting with allies and opponents.
The announcement of Donald Trump from the beginning of the week that he would take part in the funeral of the Pope, caused an avalanche of behind -the -scenes preparations among leaders, who hoped to meet with the American president during the period of extraordinary geopolitical turmoil.
US allies, especially in Europe, were very interested in meeting Trump after at the beginning of April he imposed 10 % duties on all goods imported to the US, while giving commercial partners 90 days to negotiate contracts.
The diplomatic scuffle took place when Ukraine and Russia are supposedly getting closer to the agreement on the potential suspension of weapons, after months of turbulent negotiations conducted by the Trump administration.
French President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister of Great Britain Keir Starmer, US President Donald Trump and the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zełenski talk before the funeral mass of Pope Francis in St. Piotr in the Vatican, April 26, 2025.
Ultimately, there were many meetings. Early in the morning journalists noticed Trump talking in silence with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelnski. The Ukrainian leader later said that it was a “good meeting”. Exchange of sentences between the American and Ukrainian leader took place after allegedly productive talks on Friday between the USA and Russia about the potential agreement on the suspension of weapons.
Zielnski described a meeting that took place before the official funeral ceremony as potentially “historical” And he stated that it paved the way to “durable and reliable peace” in Ukraine. His office published a photo of both leaders sitting opposite each other in the huge nave of the Basilica of St. Piotr, leaning forward and in an intensive discussion.
A chance used
Trump was also seen how the hand of French President Emmanuel Macron and the chairwoman of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. The EU, who is currently trying to negotiate a reduction in duties to export to the USA, is seeking every possibility of talking to the American president. Until now, von der Leyen has not yet been invited to the White House.
The Italian media speculated before Saturday's funeral that the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who ideologically sympathizes with the US president and recently visited the White House, would try to meet EU and US leaders. The spokesman for the commission said that every opportunity to meet would be “used”.
This meeting took place much earlier than expected in connection with the death of Francis. The chairwoman of the committee informed on platform X that she had a “good exchange of sentences” with Trump. In turn, spokeswoman von der Leyen in a separate post wrote that both sides “agreed to the meeting”.
US President Donald Trump and President of Finland Alexander Stubb talk during the funeral mass of Pope Francis at St. Piotr in the Vatican, April 26, 2025.
Trump also seemed to talk freely with the leaders of Estonia and Finland, who sat next to him on chairs reserved for heads of states. Meloni met with the prime minister of Great Britain Kierem Starmer and Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban.
As one could expect at the celebrations, Russian President Vladimir Putin did not appear, who would risk arrest in Italy because of an order issued against him by the International Criminal Court in Hague.
It was not only a temporal, but also a spiritual game of power, because cardinals from around the world gathered only a few weeks before the start of the conclave, a secret congregation that would select the Pope's successor. Strong divisions between the church factions are already visible.
The faithful say goodbye to the pope
However, apart from diplomatic fever, there were also many people who came to Rome, often from afar to say goodbye to the Pope with whom they felt extremely close.
Ivan Mastrosimone, a scout instructor from Sicily, said that he traveled by bus for 12 hours to see the funeral. He stated that arriving here was his “duty” due to the Pope's definite position on climate change.
Christian Wahl, a logistics manager holding a German flag in his hand, said that the attendance reflects the popularity of the Pope compared to his German predecessor, Benedict XVI, a restrained theologian who died in 2022 after the shocking resignation in 2013.
The funeral of Pope Francis in St. Piotr, in front of the Basilica of St. Piotr in the Vatican, April 26, 2025.
“I also participated in the funeral of Benedict, but there are more people here,” Wahl said. – Francis is more popular even in Germany, Because he showed us that he is not put above us, that we are all equal. Benedict was not so close to people – he noted.
The illustration of Franciszek's style was the way of burial. The funeral focused around the simple wooden coffin of Francis, which was a departure from previous papal burials, in which coffins from cypress, lead and oak were used.
After the funeral mass, the casket was transported papamobile to the center of Rome, where Francis was buried in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the four main papal basilica, favorite by Francis, among others due to the proximity of the poor Esquilino district.
Others came from further sides, which reflected the shift of the center of gravity of the Catholic Church outside Europe, towards Africa, Asia and Latin America, a change that the pontificate of the Argentine Pope helped to initiate and fix.
Among them was Antoinette Katu, a guardian from Congo. Francis was “loved in Africa,” she said. “He was not only the pope, but the father of everyone, close to people and the poor,” she added.
Maria Agu, the mother of the Sisters of Jesus Savior from Port Arcourt in Nigeria, flew to the funeral after 15 hours of flight. As she emphasized, on Saturday Rome became the “center of the universe”.
Natalia Massias, the director of the school from North Carolina, admitted that she was happy about the presence of Trump, but also appreciates Franciszek's appeals for the protection of migrants. Although the funeral became a political forum, in her opinion – “during the ceremony there was a moment of peace.”
“The fact that we can be at the funeral today is a huge blessing,” she said. “As an American of Mexican origin, I loved him,” he was the Pope of the people, “she admitted.
