VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Minutes before the funeral for Pope Francis began outside in St. Peter’s Square on Saturday (April 26), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. President Donald Trump sat leaning toward each other on solitary chairs in the marbled hall outside the Baptistry Chapel of St. Peter’s Basilica. It was their first meeting since their blowup at the White House in February, which ended with the Ukrainian leader stalking out.
The late pontiff, a staunch advocate of peace through dialogue, would likely have appreciated the impromptu meeting at his funeral, which some Vatican observers are already calling Francis’ first miracle.
Shortly afterward, Trump and Zelenskyy walked out of the basilica together, trailing French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who had promoted the conversation. The large crowd in the square applauded and cardinals taking their seats took note, with some saying that Francis’ legacy of peacemaking will weigh on their minds as they turn to deciding who will become the next pope.
“Pope Francis brought the pain of not being able to achieve peace to the grave,” said Cardinal Ángel Sixto Rossi, archbishop of Córdoba, Argentina, and, like Francis, a Jesuit. “It was Pope Francis’ greatest regret,” he said.
Sixto said that …