Photo: Kurazh
The Vatican has taken the unprecedented step of deviating from traditional seating protocol to give Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a front row seat at Pope Francis’ funeral in St Peter’s Square. The decision placed Zelenskyy only 11 seats away from US President Donald Trump, a significant departure from established diplomatic norms, The Telegraph reported.
Funerals attended by world leaders, royalty and dignitaries usually follow a strict seating chart based on alphabetical order in French – the language of diplomacy – and the distinction between heads of state and government. According to these rules,Ukraine (Ukraine in French) should have placed Zelenskyy in the third row or further back. Instead, the Ukrainian leader, who arrived with his wife, Olena Zelenska, was seated in the front row, which prompted spontaneous applause from the audience.
Zelenskyy’s seating followed a brief meeting with Trump, their first conversation since reports of a tense discussion in the Oval Office. The Vatican has not openly acknowledged the breach of protocol, although Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told The Telegraph that “they filled the empty seat.”
Between Zelenskyy and Trump sat prominent figures, including French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte, as well as the presidents of India, Hungary, Gabon and Finland. To Trump’s right were Estonian President Alar Karis and King Felipe VI of Spain, which partially corresponded to the French alphabetical order – États-Unis (USA) and Espagne (Spain). However, Zelenskyy’s place next to Irish President Michael D. Higgins highlighted the exception made for Ukraine.
In other cases, the protocol was strictly observed. Argentine President Javier Milea sat at the far right end of the first row, in accordance with Argentine in French. The Prince of Wales, representing King Charles, was in the third row next to the outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the head of government. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir Keir Starmer, and his wife, Lady Starmer, were also present, as was former US President Joe Biden, who sat in the fifth row. Italian President Sergio Mattarella took a seat in the front row, while Prime Minister Georgia Maloney sat further back, in line with the distinction between heads of state and government.
Zelenskyy’s placement in the front row coincided with growing expectations of a breakthrough in Ukraine’s peace talks, which increased the symbolic weight of the Vatican’s gesture. The breach of protocol has sparked debate about the Vatican’s subtle diplomatic signalling amid global tensions.
Source: The Telegraph
