Featured Image Credit: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images/Sky News
Topics: Donald Trump, Pope Francis, News
Gregory Robinson
Topics: Donald Trump, Pope Francis, News
It seems Melania Trump stepped in during an awkward moment for her husband Donald at the funeral of Pope Francis at the weekend.
World leaders, foreign dignitaries, and monarchs were among the more than 250,000 mourners who gathered in Vatican City's St Peter’s Square to pay their respects to the late pontiff, who died aged 88 on Easter Monday.
US president Donald Trump attended alongside his wife Melania, and during the three-hour ceremony, the congregation were invited to ‘offer each other a sign of peace’ by shaking hands with another person.
This act is referred to as a ‘sign of peace’ and is a tradition within the Catholic Church.
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In addition to funerals, it is typically performed during the Mass after the Lord's Prayer and before Communion, symbolising the renewal of fellowship and peace among the community.
The first lady appeared to instruct husband to follow suit and shake hands, before he offered his hand to French president Emmanuel Macron.
According to forensic lip reader Nicola Hickling, who spoke with the Daily Mail, Mrs Trump allegedly whispered to her husband: "You should do it."
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"Oh, alright," Trump then seemingly replied, before offering his hand to Estonia’s president Alar Karis and Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, and then Macron.
Trump sparked outrage online after choosing to wear a blue suit and tie to the sombre event, instead of black.
However, Trump was not the only man who chose to wear a blue suit, as Prince William also wore blue, while Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, opted for black military attire.
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But significant outrage was directed at Trump, with one account on X (formerly Twitter) asking: "Any reason why Donald Trump is in a blue suit and not wearing traditional black for a funeral?"
Another person commented: "Watching the funeral on BBC News. Trump is in a blue suit when everyone else is in black. No class."
And a third wrote: "Why is Trump wearing a blue suit while everyone else is in black? No respect."
The dress code for the funeral mandated that men wear a 'dark suit', paired with a black tie and a black button on the left lapel. Women were mandated to wear long black dresses, gloves and a veil.
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Pope Francis chose a modest farewell, breaking tradition for a simpler funeral. He was laid to rest in a plain wooden coffin lined with zinc, rather than the customary three-tiered tapered caskets made of cypress, lead, and elm.