(The Hill) – President Trump and other world leaders gathered in Rome on Saturday to honor the life of Pope Francis, who died on Monday at the age of 88.
The pope, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina, had a sharp political edge and close relationship with many leaders throughout his 12 years as the head of the Catholic Church.
His funeral came at a pivotal time for Trump to be face-to-face with other heads of state, while his administration works to negotiate deals with trading partners on tariffs and as he has urged for an end to the war in Ukraine.
Here are five takeaways from the Pope’s funeral.
Honors for Francis
The funeral for Pope Francis focused on his humble and remarkable life and leadership at the Vatican, during which he was considered a trailblazer and broke barriers in the Catholic Church. About 250,000 people gathered outside of St. Peter’s Basilica to honor the late pope, The Washington Post reported.
The president and first lady Melania Trump paid their respects to Francis, standing before the coffin for a moment, the White House shared on the social media platform X. Trump wore a blue suit and blue tie while the first lady wore a black dress and black veil.
Other world leaders shared images of the funeral on social media.
“Farewell to Pope Francis and a special Mass at St. Peter’s Square. The unity of people from all parts of the world. Gratitude to Pope Francis. Prayers that strengthen and inspire hope. May the Lord hear every sincere heart today!” Ukrainian President Zelensky wrote on X.
Trump meets with Zelensky
Trump and Zelensky met face-to-face inside of St. Peter’s Basilica before the funeral began on Saturday morning. The meeting lasted for roughly 15 minutes, per Ukrainian officials, and comes in stark contrast to their last in-person interaction, when Zelensky abruptly departed a White House meeting after a fiery spat.
“President Trump and President Zelensky met privately today and had a very productive discussion,” White House communications director Steven Cheung said Saturday. “More details about the meeting will follow.”
The White House posted an image of the meeting, calling it a private sit down. Zelensky earlier on Saturday posted an image of the two leaders sitting across from one another, staring eye to eye, and he thanked Trump for the meeting.
“Good meeting. We discussed a lot one on one. Hoping for results on everything we covered. Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out,” the Ukrainian president said. “Very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results.”
Trump meets with other European leaders
French President Emmanuel Macron briefly spoke with Trump and Zelensky before the two sat down for their face-to-face, according to a video shared by White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino.
Other images on social media show British Prime Minister Keir Starmer with Macron, Trump and Zelensky for a brief greeting. Macron and Starmer have also lobbied for a truce in the three-year-long war in Ukraine, while continuing to offer funds in support of the country.
Zelensky and Macron met after the funeral for talks on “further peace efforts,” according to Ukrainian minister of foreign affairs Andrii Sybiha on X.
European Union President Ursula von der Leyen shared on X that she shook hands with Trump and said she had “good exchanges with several” of the world leaders she spoke to.
The president had imposed a 20 percent tariff on goods coming from the European Union before he paused all reciprocal tariffs for 90 days, keeping 10 percent tariffs in place. Von der Leyen put retaliatory tariffs on the U.S. on hold after the pause and has signaled that the 27-member trading bloc is open to negotiations with the Trump administration, but said if they are not “satisfactory,” the countermeasures will be reinstated.
Other American officials present
Former President Biden and former first lady Jill Biden, both wearing sun glasses, were seated a few rows behind Trump. Biden was the second Catholic president in U.S. history after former President John F. Kennedy.
The former president bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom with distinction, the U.S.’s highest civilian award, upon Francis before he left office in January. He was expected to visit with the Pope in Rome during his final month as president, but canceled the trip because of deadly wildfires in California.
Biden and Francis had met multiple times throughout his presidency and the two had a close, supportive relationship.
Trump officials on the trip to Rome included chief of staff Susie Wiles, deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino and national security adviser Mike Waltz. They were seen by reporters traveling with the president in the eighth row of the dignitaries section at the funeral.
Other world leaders present
Prince William attended the funeral and paid his respects to the Pope. It does not appear that Trump met with the British royal.
The president’s seat at the funeral was shared in a video by the White House. He was seated across the aisle from Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Estonian President Alar Karis was seated next to the first lady.
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