Erika Malandra A brief meeting, but full of meaning. Among the naves of St. Peter's Basilica, just before the funeral of Pope Francesco, a meeting took place that immediately attracted the attention of the media. Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky, sitting on two chairs, exchanged important words. But there is a little “mystery” that makes that scene even more interesting.
The Mysterious Chair at the Pope's Funeral
The video released by the Ukrainian presidency depicts a moment that seemed almost random. Before Trump and Zelensky sat down, they were with French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. There were three chairs prepared for them. But here's the twist: when Trump and Zelensky finally sit down to talk, there are only two chairs, facing each other. The third has disappeared.
According to what has been reconstructed, as reported tg24.sky.it, the chair disappeared to funeral of the Pope was moved by a prelate, probably sensing that the two presidents wanted a private conversation. The scene was immortalized in a photo, where the religious man can clearly be seen removing the chair, moving it towards one of the columns. Some suspect that the third chair was intended for Macron, but it is not excluded that it was for Starmer or, even, for an interpreter who was never needed. In any case, the meeting between Trump and Zelensky took place without any linguistic mediator.
Monsignor Sapienza and the organization of the meeting
Monsignor Sapienza's intervention was not accidental. Given his discreet role, it could have been him who led, without fanfare, the preparation of the meeting between the two leaders. As soon as it became clear that Trump and Zelensky wanted to talk to each other, the prelate would have arranged the chairs to facilitate the conversation. And when that "third chair" at funeral of the Pope it started to seem like a superfluous thing, it was promptly removed.
The scene, which has become a symbol of the day of Pope Francis' funeral, also had a strong symbolic charge. Zelensky described the meeting as an opportunity to discuss crucial issues, such as the protection of life and hope for lasting peace. The meeting between the two leaders, although brief, had the potential to become historic, provided that the commitments made can lead to concrete results.