Global leaders gathered in Vatican City on Saturday, April 26, to pay tribute to the deceased Pope, who passed away on Easter Monday at 88 from a sudden stroke and heart failure.
BBC News reports that around 200,000 individuals attended the outdoor funeral mass held in St. Peter’s Square.
Other present dignitaries include U.S. President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Prince of Wales Sir Keir Starmer, and Irish President Michael D. Higgins. Prince William was present for the first time as the monarchy’s representative at an international funeral.
At the service, President Trump and the First Lady stopped at the Pope’s coffin in St. Peter’s Basilica before they joined the crowd outside. Trump’s attire choice, though, a blue suit, was quickly the subject of social media buzz. Many viewers complained that he did not follow the traditional black dress code usually followed at Catholic funerals.
Social media comments showed general disapproval. One commenter said, “How disrespectful, Trump is at the Pope’s funeral in a blue suit & he looks utterly out of place.” Another posted, “Everyone else is wearing black, but Trump is wearing blue”.
Critics were also quick to mention the irony of Trump’s election, given his previous remarks regarding Zelenskyy’s casual attire at a White House meeting earlier this year. A joke was made, “Why is Trump wearing a blue suit instead of a black suit?”. Maybe Zelenskyy can ask him why he hasn’t dressed more formally?”
Zelenskyy himself, too, had been criticized for not dressing properly, as he had been boycotting and dressing up in formal attire ever since he had invoked martial law in Ukraine.As a result of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia on February 24 2022. It was his promise that he would wait until the war was over before returning to formal traditional clothes.
Following the mass, in breaking tradition at the late Pope’s request, his body will be carried through Rome to the Basilica of St. Mary Major.A delegation of “poor and needy” people will pay their respects on the steps of the Vatican, echoing Pope Francis’ commitment to the poor.
As Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re preached the funeral homily on behalf of Pope Francis, he described him as a pope who was “among the people” and who had a deep sense of connection to the people as well as the community. He reemphasized the Pope’s focus on the poor, reporting that he worked to build “a home for all” within the Church.
The Pope’s final public outing was Easter Sunday, when he blessed thousands from the popemobile in St. Peter’s Square. Cardinal Re reiterated the need for an open Church, stating that it needs to “be able to bend down to every person” regardless of their beliefs or situations.
President Zelenskyy was applauded by pedestrians earlier today after he called on St. Peter’s Basilica to pay respects to the Pope. There was a very productive discussion between Zelenskyy and Trump before the funeral, which White House communications director Steven Cheung described as “a very productive meeting”.