Death of Francis: funeral service with Trump as a special guest

The burial of Pope Francis will probably be a moment of the exam for Donald Trump. Not because the Pontifex from Argentina and the US President had particularly liked. The two were more connected, if at all, with mutual aversion. But Trump is one of the people who don’t like it if someone else is the focus. And that is clear this Saturday: the dead Pope. Almost the whole world has the last honor.

At least 50 heads of state and government are expected to be the big mourning frequency on St. Peter’s Square, where the coffin then closed in the cathedral will now be set up in the cathedral. In addition, upper heads of other religions, representatives of various international organizations and also several royal couples. Among other things, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and the executive Chancellor Olaf Scholz include Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

One of the biggest TV events of the year

But certainly a lot of cameras will certainly be aimed at the US President, who, together with his wife Melania, claim a place at the forefront. For Trump, it is the first trip abroad since his return to the White House. It was planned that at the invitation of Italy’s right -wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni – currently his favorite European woman – he will come to Rome in June. Now it works much faster and only for a day, with the Air Force One there and back.

Trump was one of the first to announce her coming after the news of the dying of the Pope. Only hours later he wrote on his online platform Truth Social: “Melania and I will take part in the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome. We look forward to being there.” The tone reminded some of the promise to be a meal invitation. But finally it is also about one of the biggest TV events of this year. The first lady’s clothes will also be eyed. That’s how it is.

Large contrasts between the Pope and President

Trump and Francis connected little. The two could hardly have been more opposite, a giantgo and a philanthropist. When the US President received a private audience in the Vatican in his first term in 2017, the “Osservatore Romano” then published a photo of the two side by side: on the right an extremely self-satisfied grinning US president, a Pope on the left that almost suffered into the cameras. The relationship was characterized by conflicts and open disputes.

Above all about the question of how to deal with migrants: When Trump announced a wall to Mexico in his first election campaign in 2016, Francis called him “not Christian”. The real estate mogul scolded that such criticism was shameful. In this spring, shortly before his admission to the hospital, the sick Pope wrote in a fire letter to the US bishops about the deportation plans of the Trump government: “What is built up on the basis of violence and not on the same dignity of every person begins and becomes bad.”

US Vice Vance as the last state guest before death

And now the last state guest that Francis received less than 24 hours before his death was of all places. The meeting lasted a few minutes. The Vatican only announced that you wanted a happy Easter. The newspaper “La Repubblica” wrote that Francis had worked as if it had already been in contact with a higher instance and had no time for “homunkulus messengers”, who thought was chosen by God.

Otherwise, people in Rome got upset during the Vance visit about the enormous security measures. Even the Colosseum was cordoned off for the US vice and his family. The measures will be even more strict when dozens of state and government heads are in the city – especially Trump. He also gets special protection at the funeral service. All in all, more than 10,000 security forces are in use.

Some are already talking about a “tito moment”

On the edge of the request, it will certainly come to what is called funeral diplomacy. It is not as disproportionate as that sounds: On such occasions, it is common for politicians to take the opportunity to talk about other topics than just about the deceased.

Some even talk about a “Tito moment”: when the Yugoslav head of state Josip Broz Tito died in 1980, the deepest cold war was. At the edge of the funeral, numerous diplomatic contacts relaxed that brought movement. The situation is not that bad now, but relationships between the USA and the Europeans have been anything but good since Trump’s return to the White House: because of the punitive tariffs of the Americans, because of the Ukraine war and many other topics.

Meeting with Selenskyj and the Leyen?

Nobody has been in the Oval Office from Germany since January. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also did not get an appointment there. From the meeting with Wolodymyr Selenskyj, on the other hand, everyone remembers how the Ukrainian President of Trump was resorted to the world public. They are all in Rome now. There are no confirmed dates yet – but the US President already announced that he would “have many meetings”.

It could also be about a peace solution for Ukraine, where Trump sees an agreement within reach. “I think we have a deal with Russia,” he said this week. Now you still have to “make an agreement with Selenskyj” – maybe in Rome? So Trump will attract a lot of attention even with the funerals. Each of his conversations, every gesture, every contact will be followed closely.

When burial the Pope in the Marienkirche Santa Maria Maggiore, a group of poorer people is also there on Francis’ express request – in memory of his motto “The poor have a preferred place in the heart of God”. Nobody will probably consider it.