Hold outside on Saint-Pierre square, the mass of the deceased head of the Catholic church brought together tens of thousands of people and more than 100 official delegations, including heads of state such as US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Among the participants were also the main European personalities, including the head of the Ursula von der Leyen commission, the French president Emmanuel Macron and the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
With so many world leaders present, the funeral of Pope Francis have also become One of the most important gatherings of the year.
Here are five decisive moments of the day:
1. Impromptu mini-Summit of Trump and Zelenskyy
One of the most striking images came from an impromptu meeting to the Vatican.
The photos published by the presidency of Kyiv were taken Zelenskyy, Trump, Macron and Starmer gathered in a marble room before the funeral, with Macron posing a support on the shoulder of Zelenskyy.
Trump and Zelenskyy also organized a private 15-minute eye conversation in the Saint-Pierre basilica. The two were sitting facing the center of a marble room, especially without aid or nearby advisers, suggesting a private and direct conversation between them.
The White House communications director Steven Cheung described Reunion as “very productive”, with plans for other discussions later.
This direct and apparently cordial interaction strongly contrasts with recent public tensions between the two leaders.
In an article on X social networks, Zelenskyy said that the meeting was good and had the potential to become historic.
2. The unexpected “sign of peace” of Trump and Macron
In another notable moment during the funeral mass, Trump participated in the Catholic ritual known as the “sign of peace”.
He exchanged handshakes with his immediate neighbors: Finnish President Alexander Stubb, with whom he recently played golf in Florida, and Estonian President Alar Karis.
But he also holded his hand to shake hands with French President Emmanuel Macron, seated at a short distance.
In the Catholic liturgy, the “sign of peace” occurs after Our Father and before communion, when the congregation is invited to offer a gesture of peace, generally a handful, an arc or an embrace, according to tradition.
The handshake with Macron was made possible by last -minute changes in the front line seats arrangements, because the Vatican protocol was put aside for this unprecedented event.
ADVERTISEMENTTrump and First Lady Melania, but also Zelenskyy, received front line seats alongside other key leaders, stressing the international meaning of funeral.
3. Trump's second meeting with Ursula von der Leyen
On the marches of Place Saint-Pierre, President Trump and the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen exchanged a handshake.
It was their first meeting since January 21, 2020, when the two met at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Although in short and limited to formal courtesies, the interaction seemed warm, despite the recent transatlantic tensions on commercial prices.
ADVERTISEMENT“In their brief exchange, President Von Der Leyen and President Trump agreed to meet,” Paula Pino said on Saturday.
Leyen said on social media x That she “had good exchanges” with several of the leaders gathered to pay their last tribute to the Pope.
We still don't know how many other leaders that Trump met during his short stay in Rome. The reports suggest that he also spoke briefly with the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, but also with William, the Prince of Wales.
4. Shift of the symbolic wardrobe of Zelenskyy
Zelenskyy brought a notable change to his typical military outfit for funeral, opting rather for dark clothes.
ADVERTISEMENTWhile maintaining a military-inspired look, Zelenskyy opted for an elegant black jacket with front pockets and a more informal cut, associated with a dark shirt instead of its typical t-shirt and dark boots.
Since the invasion of Russia on a large scale of Ukraine in 2022, Zelenskyy has always worn the informal military dress as a symbol of solidarity with soldiers on the front line.
However, the choice of outfit of Zelenskyy had previously aroused controversy during his last visit to Washington, where the question of an journalist on his informal dress briefly moved the tone of the event.
His choice to dress more formally for funeral marked a significant, but subtle, change, for the solemn occasion.
ADVERTISEMENT5. An anti-top underlying in homily
During his homily, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the college of cardinals, celebrated the unshakable advocacy of Pope Francis for migrants and marginalists – recalls that some considered a sharp reprimand to President Trump, who was present in the public.
Revit the visits of Pope Francis to Lesbos and Lampedusa, two islands symbolizing “the tragedy of migration, with thousands of people drowning at sea” but also the mass of Pope Francis which he celebrated on the border of Mexico – US.
Cardinal RE has also echoed the sustainable exhortation of the Pope: “Building bridges, not walls”, a sentence for a long time interpreted as a direct criticism of Trump policies.
The crowd responded with spontaneous applause, especially during the calls for peace and dialogue in the face of war and destruction – an emotional highlight of the ceremony.
ADVERTISEMENT“Faced with the raging wars of recent years, with their inhuman horrors and their innumerable death and destruction, Pope Francis constantly has his voice, imploring peace and calling for a reason and honest negotiations to find possible solutions,” continued Re.
