Inside the soaring nave of St. Peter’s Basilica on Saturday, the quiet hush of world leaders paying respects to the late Pope Francis was briefly interrupted by a flurry of activity in a secluded corner near the entrance doors.

Among the many captivating visuals at the Vatican funeral of Pope Frances, was the one-on-one meeting of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump sitting knee-to-knee in an ornate marble floor side chamber of St.

Zelensky used the funeral of Pope Francis to launch a diplomatic blitz to head off a U.S. proposal to end Russia’s war on Ukraine on terms favorable to Moscow.