Pope Francis' funeral presents a chance for diplomacy “brush on”

World leaders can gather on Saturday to give their respect to a fellow statesman whose church has more members than their countries have citizens.

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

Because it will be one of the largest gatherings of global state and government leaders after the funeral of the late Queen in 2022.

Diplomats said there are few plans for official meetings between government leaders, because it will not be in the spirit of what is a solemn occasion.

“We do not want to be disrespectful to our hosts,” said a European diplomat. “But will there be a brush opportunity? Absolutely.”

It was a reference to the conversations of the Sendipotheians, which could be held at the edges of the top or a ceremony as a “brush from each other” leaders while they found their places.

Another employee said, “This is a funeral. We are stepping carefully.”

All looks, of course, will be whether Presidents Trump and Zelenski use the opportunity to be in the same place to discuss the prospects for ending fire in Ukraine. They will be located in an area of ​​St. Peter Square, allocated to the world leaders in alphabetical order under a country.

You can imagine that this means that the leaders of the United States and Ukraine will sit side by side. But the French historical was the language of diplomacy, so Les états-unis president may be some distance from his Ukrainian counterpart.

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

It is possible for both men to meet in private elsewhere in Rome, as some European countries hoped, but it was not clear if this was likely. “If it happens, it will be improvised,” a diplomat said.

On Tuesday, Zelenski said he was in principle to see Trump in Rome. “We are always ready to meet our partners from the United States of America,” he said.

The next day Trump said there were “many meetings”, but he didn't say with whom. On Friday, Zelenski questioned whether he would be able to attend after all, after the last Russian strikes for the fact that Kiev violated his travel plans.

The diplomatic focus will be on the part of St. Peter's Square, where presidents and prime ministers, princes and monarchs will sit in anticipation of the consequences to begin. This will be the main opportunity for them to mix and discuss the problems of the day, to make contacts and to establish relationships.

Traveling to Rome can also provide an opportunity for diplomatic meetings. The Vatican said 170 delegations were coming, including about 50 state heads, 15 government leaders and 12 governing monarchs. The chances of them meet at one of Rome's two airports upon arrival or departure are high.

But while funerals can present diplomatic opportunities, they can also pose threats. Leaders can come into contact with an opponent. This is because politicians who are the subject of European sanctions for travel can visit the Vatican City because it is considered a neutral territory. Most importantly, neither President Vladimir Putin of Russia nor his President Jinping of China should be present.

• You can watch and follow the live funeral here on the website and the BBC News application. In the UK there will be live coverage of the BBC One from 0830-1230 BST, presented by Reeta Chakrabarti, available to watch IPlayer. There will also be live reflection on the BBC news channel presented by Mariam Moshiri. Finally, you can follow the reflection of the BBC World Service Funeral

The most incredible moment can come to the service itself. Francis Campbell, the British Ambassador to the Holy See from 2005 to 2011, said the funeral liturgy includes a moment when the celebrators give each other a sign of peace and leaders can be shaken with people who would prefer not to. “You can't avoid it,” he said. “You attend a religious ceremony and you are an obligation to participate as much as possible.”

At the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005, the then Prince of Wales was unexpected to shake hands with President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. The spokesman for the future king said he was “caught by surprise”.

There are also risks leaders who appear in front of many thousands of sorrows. At the same funeral in 2005, George W. Bush was raised by the crowd when his face was shown on a monitor, an obvious decision on the US President's war in Iraq.

Former Prime Minister Harold Wilson has been credited for the introduction of the phrase “Good working funeral” in connection with the service commemorating the death of Winston Churchill in 1965.

Jeff Berridge, a professor of international relations at the University of Leicester, said working funerals are of considerable value.

“They provide the leaders of the state and the government a good excuse for breaking existing emergency discussions about current problems without provoking public expectations,” he wrote in his book “Diplomacy: Theory and Practice”.

In recent years, there have been several such funerals after the death of the late queen, former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Ebrahim Raisi, the Iranian president.

But “working funerals” are also subject to satire. Jim Hacker, Prime Minister of the same name, in the comedy “Yes”, the BBC Prime Minister said working funerals were “sent from heaven”.

“The dignified grief goes down very well with the voters, especially when it is shared by world statesmen,” he told his assistants. Working funerals were “much better than the summit, as there are no expectations. People do not expect their leaders to return from a funeral with a test ban or reduction of the farm. So we can actually hold some meaningful discussions. A summit is just a circle of public relations.”