Pope Francis’ funeral presents a chance for Bruj’s diplomacy

World leaders can gather on Saturday to give their respect to the compatriot of a statesman in which the church has more members than their states.

But they can also use the Pope’s funeral as a rare and unexpected opportunity to conduct a small improvised diplomacy.

It will be one of the largest meetings of the world heads of state and the government after the burial of the deceased Queen in 2022.

The diplomats said there were few plans for official meetings between government leaders, because it would not be in the spirit of what was a solemn occasion.

“We do not want to be disrespectful to our hosts,” said one European diplomat. “But will there be opportunities for brushes?

It was a reference to bewildered conversations that could take place in the summit or ceremony as leaders “when they find their places.

Another official said, “This is a funeral. We are walking closely.”

Of course, all eyes will be on whether the presidents will be Trump and Zelensky’s opportunity to be in the same place to discuss the prospects of ceasefire in Ukraine. They will sit in the area of ​​St. Peter’s Square, allocated by the world leader in alphabetical order in the country.

You can imagine what this means that US and Ukraine leaders will sit nearby. But the French language was historically a language of diplomacy, so President Les états-Unis may well be at some distance from his Ukrainian counterpart.

Given the tension between the two leaders, some diplomats said it may not be bad and may avoid the risk of such a confrontation in the oval office in February.

Both men may have met in a private place in Rome because some European countries hoped, but it was unclear whether it was probably. “If this happens, it will be improvised,” one diplomat said.

On Tuesday, Zelensky said he was ready to see Trump in Rome in principle. “We are always ready to meet our US partners,” he said.

The next day, Trump said he had “a lot of meetings” but who did not say. On Friday, Zelensky was in doubt about whether he would eventually succeed, after the last Russian strikes on Kiev, breaking his travel plans.

Diplomatic attention will be done on the part of St. Peter’s Square, where the presidents and the Prime Ministers, princes and monarchs will sit, waiting for the consequences. This will be the main opportunity to mix them and discuss the day issues, establish contacts and establish relationships.

Traveling to Rome can also give an opportunity for diplomatic meetings. The Vatican said there were 170 delegations, including about 50 heads of state, 15 heads of government and 12 ruling monarchs. The chances at their meeting at one of the two Rome airports upon arrival or departure are high.

But although funerals may be diplomatic opportunities, they can also create threats. There is an opportunity for leaders in contact with the enemy. Precisely because politicians subject to European sanctions can visit the Vatican -Sity because it is considered a neutral territory. The main thing is that neither President Vladimir Putin from Russia nor President Xi Jinping from China were present.

• You can watch and watch the funeral live here, on the BBC News web and the app. The UK will host live lighting on the BBC One with 0830-1230 BST, presented by Rheet Chakrabarty available to view on iPlayer. There will also be live lighting on the BBC News provided by Maryam Moshiri. Finally, you can also follow the burial coverage at the BBC World Service

The most unpredictable moment can come to the service itself. Francis Campbell, the British Ambassador of the Holy See from 2005 to 2011, said the funeral mass includes the moment when the celebrations give each other a sign of peace, and leaders can shake their hand to people they would not want. “You can’t avoid this,” he said. “You attend a religious ceremony and you need to participate as much as possible.”

At the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005, then Prince Wales was suddenly shaking his hand with President Robert Mugabe from Zimbabwe. A press secretary of the future king stated that he had been “surprised”.

There are also risks for leaders who are facing many thousands of women. At the same funeral in 2005, George W. Bush was a crowd when his face was shown on the monitor, a clear opinion on the US president’s war in Iraq.

Former Prime Minister Harold Wilson is attributed to the creation of a “good working burial” phrase in relation to Winston Churchill in 1965.

Jeff Berridge, Professor of International Relations at the University of Lester, said that workers are of considerable value.

“They provide the heads of state and the government of a good reason to break existing schedules for urgent discussions about current issues without causing the expectations of society,” he wrote in his book “Diplomacy: Theory and Practice”.

In recent years after the death of the deceased Queen, the former Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo, there were several such burials, and the Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi.

But “labor burials” were also the subject of satire. Jim Hacker, the Prime Minister of the “yes”, the Prime Minister of the BBC, said that the workers’ burial is “the sky sent”.

“The worthy grief with the voters is very well reduced, especially when it is shared by statesmen of the world,” he said to his assistants. Labor burials were “much better than the summit, because there is no expectation. People do not expect their leaders to return from the funeral agreements on test bans or reduction of farms. Thus, we can actually hold significant discussions. The summit is just a circus on public relations.”