Pope Francis funeral: Will Vatican seating bring Trump, Zelensky face-to-face after Oval clash?

Former US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are expected to attend Pope Francis’ funeral on Saturday in what would mark their first in-person meeting since their highly publicised confrontation in the Oval Office last February. While current seating plans suggest the two leaders will not be seated close to one another, their presence at the same high-profile event has reignited attention on their strained relationship, New York Post reported. 

According to preliminary arrangements, Trump, attending alongside the official US delegation, is expected to be seated in the third row, between African dignitaries, and notably distanced from Zelensky. The seating chart follows strict Vatican protocol, which arranges world leaders alphabetically by their countries' names in French — the same system used at Pope John Paul II’s funeral in 2005. This places the United States (États-Unis) between Ethiopia and Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland.
 

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The US delegation will be led by Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana), and includes former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California), Senators Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts) and Dick Durbin (D-Illinois), along with Representatives Laura Gillen and Tom Suozzi, both Democrats from New York, the report added. 

Former President Joe Biden is also expected to attend the funeral, though not as part of the official American delegation. Reports suggest he will be seated further back among other VIPs.

In line with protocol, Argentina’s President Javier Milei — representing the Pope’s home country — will be seated in the front row, alongside senior members of the clergy such as archbishops, bishops, and cardinals. Italy is to receive the next most prominent placement, owing to the Pope’s position as the Bishop of Rome.

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Seated just behind the front rows will be royals from around the world, including the Prince of Wales, the King and Queen of Sweden, and the Crown Prince and Princess of Norway. The Vatican has confirmed that no distinction will be made between Catholic and non-Catholic royalty in the seating order.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer — representing Royaume-Uni, the French name for the United Kingdom — may find himself seated near the Russian delegation due to alphabetical placement, potentially underscoring tensions over the ongoing war in Ukraine. Starmer has been a staunch supporter of Zelensky and this week publicly rejected a US peace proposal that would recognise Russia’s annexation of Crimea, which it occupied in 2014.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the funeral, the Kremlin confirmed on Tuesday.

Pope Francis' funeral is set to begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday in St Peter’s Square. The service is expected to draw a crowd of up to 200,000 mourners, with tens of thousands having already paid their respects as the late pontiff lay in state at St Peter’s Basilica this week.

The 88-year-old Pope passed away on Easter Monday following a stroke.