World leaders attend Pope Francis’s funeral – President Donald Trump pays his final respects

World leaders attend Pope Francis’s funeral – President Donald Trump pays his final respects

According to a report from AP in Rome, former U.S. President Donald Trump, along with leaders and prominent figures from more than 50 countries, attended the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican City on Saturday. To pay his respects to the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Trump attended the ceremony accompanied by his wife Melania Trump. He was seated in the front row, near French President Emmanuel Macron.

Pope Francis, who died on Monday at the age of 88 due to complications from a stroke, had differing views from Trump on several issues. Still, Trump said, “I came to this funeral to honor the Pope.”

Trump described Pope Francis as a “good man” who “worked hard” and “loved the world.” Following his death, Trump ordered that flags in the United States be flown at half-mast in the Pope’s honor.

Prior to the service, the White House and the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Trump and Zelensky had a brief meeting. White House Communications Director Steven Chuang said, “They met in person today and had a very productive discussion.”

Pope Francis had taken a clear stance against Trump’s policies on immigration, climate change, and refugees. In 2016, in response to Trump’s “build the wall” campaign, the Pope remarked, “Anyone who builds walls to keep immigrants out is not a Christian.” Trump at the time called the comment “disgraceful.”

However, the Pope’s death seemed to bring a somewhat softened tone from Trump.
He said that although he had plans to meet with many leaders, holding separate meetings during such a dignified occasion as the Pope’s funeral “might seem disrespectful.” Still, he added, “I will talk to many and meet many.”

After the service, Ukrainian President Zelensky was seen exiting St. Peter’s Basilica just after Trump, and was greeted with applause by attendees.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated that Ukraine and Russia should now begin “high-level talks” to end the war. He revealed that his envoy, Steve Witkoff, had met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, and that both sides were close to reaching an agreement. However, Putin was not present at the Pope’s funeral.

Notably, current U.S. President Joe Biden also attended the ceremony with his wife, Jill Biden. However, Trump said he was unaware of Biden’s presence and ruled out the possibility of them meeting.