Russia, Israel and China each had unique and often complex relationships with the Vatican and the late Pope Francis.
While the pontiff's funerals become a calm stage for diplomatic symbolism, the presence – or the absence – of certain countries says a lot.
Russia and Israel will both be represented during the funeral of Pope Francis, although notably not by their main leaders, because President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu do not participate.
Instead, Russia will send its Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova, and Israel will be represented by Yaron Zeidman, the Holy See ambassador.
Putin stopped by a mandate?
The absence of Putin is widely considered to be linked to the arrest warrant of the International Criminal Court (ICC) against him, even if he congratulated Pope Francis as “defender of humanism” in tribute after his death.
Although theoretically at risk of arrest if he set foot in Italy, the probability was not clear: according to the Italian daily Corriere Della will be, the Ministry of Italian justice has not yet transmitted the mandate of the ICC to the Rome Court of Appeal – a necessary step to validate any arrest.
The ministry would also have failed to deal with five other mandates against senior Russian officials, notably Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, Russian Children's Rights Commissioner, who faces similar accusations in Putin.
Israeli-Vatican relations at a low point under Francis
The absence of Netanyahu comes in the midst of the tied ties between Israel and the Vatican, especially during the War of Israel-Hamas in Gaza.
Like many world leaders quickly presented condolences to the death of the Pope, the first official condolence message arrived a few hours after the announcement of the death of the Pope, Israeli President Israac Herzog.
However, the Netanyahu government waited three days to publish a statement, which was largely interpreted as a diplomatic signal.
Pope Francis had repeatedly sentenced the war to Gaza, and his public criticisms deepened tensions with the Israeli government.
China has “no information to share”
China has not yet confirmed its presence and the chances of participation seem slim. When asked by Reuters if Beijing would send a representative, the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Guo Jiakun, simply replied: “No information to share for the moment.”
Beijing published a brief condolences almost 24 hours after the Pope's death – and only after journalists asked for an answer.
Nevertheless, a prayer in Chinese will be included during the funeral – a nod to the long -standing efforts of Pope Francis to build bridges with the government in Beijing, despite decades of tense ties.
Many observers consider the continuation of dialogue with China as one of its most important political missions.
ADVERTISEMENTThe Holy See has not had formal diplomatic relations with China since 1951 and is the only European state to officially recognize Taiwan, an autonomous island democracy, Beijing affirms its own.
The new sensitive balance of the Holy See towards China is probably behind Taiwan's decision to demot its delegation after discussions with the Vatican. President Lai Ching-te will not go, and a former vice-president will represent Taiwan instead.
The dispute from China for decades with the Vatican also involves the appointment of Catholic bishops. Cardinal Joseph Zen, a retired bishop of Hong Kong and a defender of vocal democracy, received a special authorization from a Hong Kong court to go to Rome for funerals.
His passport had been seized following his arrest in 2022 in the context of pro-democracy demonstrations.
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