Simple Funeral for Pope Francis Becomes Conduit to See Trump
Mourners attend a rosary prayer in Saint Peter's Square on the day of Pope Francis' death in Vatican City.
Photographer: Alessia Pierdomenico/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
The funeral for Pope Francis was intended to be a stripped-down affair to honor the simplicity of the man. Instead, the attendance of President Donald Trump has turned it into a high-profile stage for international diplomacy at a moment of geopolitical turmoil.
With the world in the throes of a trade war, markets gyrating wildly and a truce between Ukraine and Russia hanging in the balance, everyone from Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who landed in Rome early Saturday, to Britain’s Keir Starmer and France’s Emmanuel Macron is seeking a quick audience with the mercurial American leader on his first trip abroad since the inauguration.