Pope Francis’ funeral seating arrangement’s politics were exposed: How Prince William and Keir Starmer are pushed further back, but Donald Trump really gets to sit in the first row

To guarantee their place in St. Peter’s Square, some people set up overnight on the streets using foil blankets and sleeping bags.

When capacity was reached, Vatican authorities closed the gates; they subsequently said that there were some 250,000 people in and around the Piazza.

The sheer number of people here is impressive. Before the event, 29-year-old Jeremie Metais of Grenoble, France, said, “It’s lovely to see all these nationalities together.”

“Today, it resembles the center of the world.” Mary James, a Franciscan nun who had remained up all night to ensure a decent location, remarked,