They may be the most powerful people on the planet, but when it comes to seating arrangements at Pope Francis's funeral on Saturday, all foreign leaders will defer to the Argentines and Italians and follow the rules of the French alphabet.
The Vatican said on Friday that some 130 foreign delegations had so far expressed their intention to attend the funeral, with that number expected to increase throughout the day.
Among them are about 50 heads of state whose participation has been confirmed, including US President Donald Trump and 10 reigning monarchs.
In addition to the VIPs, hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend the funeral in St Peter's Square, which starts at 10am (9am Irish time) on Saturday.
Italian police have carried out one of the most complex security operations in decades.
Official delegations will take their seats to the right of the altar on the top step leading to St. Peter's Basilica.
A place of honor will be given to Argentina, the birthplace of Francis, where President Javier Miley will sit in the front row.
Miley, a right-wing libertarian independent, has been sharply critical of Francis during his 2023 election campaign, calling him “an idiot who defends social justice.”
However, after taking office later that year, the president changed his tone.
Next up is Italy, the country that surrounds the Vatican and agreed in 1929 to recognize its sovereignty as the world's smallest state. It also ranks second best in the VIP section because the Pope is the Bishop of Rome and the Primate of the Catholic Bishops of Italy.
Here the French alphabet, still considered the language of diplomacy, comes into play for the other delegations. The countries following Italy are ordered according to their names in French, not their native language.
So it's Etats Unis instead of United States, Allemagne instead of Deutschland (Germany) and Pays-Bas instead of Nederland (Netherlands). However, Ireland doesn't really change its position, remaining Irlande in French.
The royal family will also have precedence. Reigning monarchs (expected to include the kings and queens of Spain and Belgium, as well as Prince Albert of Monaco) will take seats before other heads of state.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said on Friday there would be no distinction between Catholic and non-Catholic royals in allocating seats.
The royals are followed by other heads of state. Trump, who Francis has criticized for his immigration policies, will sit ahead of many other leaders, since Etats Unis begins with an “E.”
This alphabetical logic implies that Trump, who is currently trying to broker a peace deal in the conflict in Ukraine, will not be sitting next to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Former US President Joe Biden, who has been the subject of constant criticism from Trump, will attend the funeral but will not be part of the official US delegation, a diplomatic source said.
That means Biden, a lifelong Catholic, will have to sit further back with other VIPs. – Reuters
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
