Holy See officials broke diplomatic protocol for Zelenskyy

The Vatican broke protocol by giving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a front row seat at Pope Francis' funeral.

This is reported by the British publication The Telegraph.

During the funeral of Pope Francis, the Vatican broke its traditional protocol and gave Zelenskyy a front row seat.

Usually, seats for world leaders are distributed alphabetically in French, which is traditional for diplomacy, which would require the Ukrainian President to sit in the third row or even behind.

However, this time the Vatican made an exception, giving Zelenskyy and his wife Olena Zelenska seats 11 seats behind American leader Donald Trump.

According to the publication, after Zelenskyy's brief meeting with Trump, which was their first since the breakup in the Oval Office, the Ukrainian leader received spontaneous applause in St. Peter's Square.

The place allocated to Zelenskyy once again emphasizes the attention paid to him at this important event.

The Vatican probably took special measures to guarantee the Ukrainian President the spotlight among world leaders, even despite traditional protocol rules.

The Vatican did not deny that protocol rules were violated.

"I believe they took a vacant seat," said Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni.

It was noteworthy that the rules were strictly observed for the rest of those present. For example, Argentine President Javier Milei sat next to a Swiss guard, and the Prince of Wales, who represented the king, sat in the third row, next to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on April 26, Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived at the Vatican to participate in the farewell ceremony for Pope Francis. In addition to the Ukrainian President, leaders of many world countries also gathered in Rome.

During his visit, Zelenskyy has already held a number of important talks with international leaders. In particular, he met with French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump, calling his conversation with Trump "very symbolic."