U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to sit in the third row at the funeral of Pope Francis, according to reports from British media, including The Telegraph, on the 24th (local time).
The Telegraph noted, "While President Trump may be the most famous person on earth and a leader of the free world, he could be greatly disappointed by the seating arrangement at Pope Francis' funeral," and added, "Trump, who is not used to being treated as a second-tier figure, may not even be seated in the second row."
The Vatican has not yet formally announced details regarding the funeral mass for Pope Francis, scheduled for the 26th. However, The Telegraph reported that the seating arrangement used during the funeral mass of Pope John Paul II in 2005 could serve as a clue.
According to tradition, archbishops, cardinals, bishops, and other Catholic clergy sit on one side of the funeral venue. Seats for foreign delegations are provided on the opposite side. The front row for foreign delegations is reserved for royalty from Catholic monarchies. This includes the kings and queens of Spain and Belgium, where Catholicism is the state religion.
The next row will be occupied by non-Catholic royal families. Prince William, first in line to the British throne, who will attend the funeral on behalf of King Charles III, is expected to sit in the second row.
Following them, foreign dignitaries are expected to take their seats. Among them will be Trump, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Italy, and Javier Milei, President of Argentina, the home country of Pope Francis.
However, there is also a possibility that President Trump may sit further back than the third row. Currently, approximately 130 delegations from 50 heads of state and 10 current monarchs are scheduled to attend the funeral, and their seating order will be in alphabetical order based on the French names of the countries. The United States, referred to as "les États-Unis" in French, will be seated behind countries like South Korea, the United Kingdom, and Germany.
President Trump previously pointed out that former President Joe Biden was seated in the 14th row during the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom in September 2022. The seating was arranged starting from representatives of Commonwealth countries, which pushed the U.S. President toward the back. At that time, President Trump remarked, "If I had been president, they would not have seated me so far back."