President Trump and first lady Melania are expected to have a third-row seat at Pope Francis’ funeral on Saturday, according to Vatican protocol. They will be seated between African dignitaries, following the alphabetical order of countries in French. The seating arrangement will place the US delegation after Ethiopia and before Eswatini, with powerful archbishops, bishops, and cardinals in the front row.
Argentinian President Javier Milei, from Francis’ home country, will be seated in the front row alongside other dignitaries. Italy will have the second-best placement due to the pope being the bishop of Rome. Royals such as the Prince of Wales and the King and Queen of Sweden will also be in the front row, with no distinction between Catholic and non-Catholic royalty.
Behind the front row will be other heads of state, with at least 130 foreign delegations and 50 leaders planning to attend the funeral. President Trump will be part of the US delegation, led by Sen. Susan Collins and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise. Former President Joe Biden will also be attending but will not be part of the official US delegation.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer may be seated near Russia, potentially facing tensions due to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be attending the funeral, as announced by the Kremlin. Along with VIPs, up to 200,000 mourners are expected to attend the services to pay their respects to the late Pontiff, who passed away at the age of 88 from a stroke on Easter Monday.
Italian police and military are implementing strict security measures for the funeral, including a “ring of steel” around Vatican City with thousands of officers, rooftop snipers, and fighter jets from the Italian Air Force. The area around the Holy See will be heavily guarded to ensure the safety of all attendees.
