Showing up at the funeral of Pope Francis at St Peter’s Square, Vatican is a massive representation for any group. African leaders who were there represented themselves and the continent and should get some credit for it.

Leaders across the world gathered to pay their final respects to Pope Francis amid all the trade tensions and wars, while being reminded of what the Pope stood for: Peace.

Pope Francis, an Italian native with connections to Argentina, his birth country, has been honoured by Christians worldwide with a particular respect coming from Argentina. The country’s President, Javier Milei, was present and sat in the front row according to Vatican protocol.

Relations between the Pontiff and President Milei had initially been fractured. In 2023, Milei paid Pope Francis a visit at the Vatican to patch broken walls. Argentina began a seven-day national mourning period for the death of the Pope.

World Leaders Present at Pope Francis’s Funeral

Seats were assigned on the occasion following a Vatican protocol guided by a simple yet symbolic tradition of diplomacy and significance.