International

The protocol for the funeral of Pope Francis, a delicate diplomatic work

The rigid protocol for the funeral of Francis this Saturday, in which more than 130 international delegations, 50 heads of state and 10 monarchs are expected, is a delicate diplomatic work to avoid conflicting situations that will follow the alphabetical order in French when assigning the posts.

The Vatican spokesman, Matteo Bruni, confirmed the presence of 130 delegations, but they could be increased during the day and some media speak of up to 170, which will arrive throughout the afternoon.

The delegations will enter through the Vatican walls through the Puerta del Perugino, where they will park the cars to go to St. Peter’s Square and enter through a side access, where they will be received by the prefect of the Pontifical House Leonardo Sapienza, before the staff of the pontifical ceremonial accompanies them to their position.

The international delegations will be placed on the right side of the square while on the left side the cardinals will be.

The Vatican protocol, which has had harsh evidence during the funeral of Benedict XVI or the massive farewell to John Paul II – which had 80 Heads of State or Government – indicates that the front rows are reserved for the heads of State, but with priority for the Italian delegations, the most massive with the presence of the president, Sergio Mattarella, and the prime minister, Giorgia Meloni; and the Argentine, Francisco’s native country, headed by Javier Milei.

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The first rows are also dedicated to the Catholic royal houses, so the kings of Spain will be placed in that position along with the rest of the monarchs who have announced their presence: Philip and Matilda of Belgium, Grand Duke Henry and Grand Duchess Maria Theresa of Luxembourg, Princes Albert and Charlène of Monaco, and the co-prince of Andorra, Joan Enric Vives, current bishop of Seu de Urgell. Next to them will sit the Grand Master of the Order of Malta, frey John T. Dunlap

Then the non-Catholic kings such as Charles Gustav of Sweden and Queen Silvia, and Prince William of England.

And then there is the complicated diplomatic game of the presidents that follows the French alphabetical order. Donald Trump, along with his wife Melania, will be in the same row as the Frenchman Emmanuel Macron, but very far from the Ukrainian Volodimir Zelensky, who has sponsored a meeting with the US president, but which will be difficult since he intends to return to his country just after the mass.

Among the first positions are also the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, the representatives of the European Union – with the Presidents of the Council, the Commission and the Parliament, Antonio Costa, Ursula von der Leyen and Roberta Metsola.

Among the heads of state closest to the altar, always in the front row, will be the Germans and Austrians, Frank Walter Steinmeier and Alexander van der Bellen, with their Albanian counterparts Bajram Begaj and the Angolan João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenç.

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Also the Brazilian president, Lula da Silva, along with the governor general of Canada, Mary Simon, and the heads of state of Cape Verde and Cyprus, José Maria Pereira Neves and Nikos Christodoulides, as well as the president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa.

An enigma will be to know if former US President Joe Biden, who confirmed his presence in Rome yesterday due to his close relationship with Pope Francis, will be included in the delegation, but what is certain is that he will be in the back rows with respect to Trump.

In the third row there will be ministers, other members of the delegations and ambassadors, as will be the case of Israel’s representative to the Holy See, Yaron Sideman.

International

IEA warns Middle East conflict could spark worst energy crisis in decades

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East could trigger the worst energy crisis in decades, warned Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), who described the situation as “very serious.”

Speaking at the National Press Club in Canberra, Birol compared the current scenario to the oil crises of the 1970s, noting that during those events the world lost around five million barrels of oil per day in each crisis.

“Today, we have lost 11 million barrels per day—more than the two major oil shocks combined,” he said.

The Turkish economist referred to the conflict that began on February 28, following attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran, which have significantly disrupted global energy markets and driven oil prices higher.

Birol warned that the global economy is facing a “very, very serious threat” and expressed hope that the crisis will be resolved soon.

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“No country will be immune to the effects of this crisis if it continues in this direction. Global efforts are urgently needed,” he emphasized.

International

Colombian Air Force Hercules plane crashes during takeoff with troops onboard

A Lockheed C-130 Hercules operated by the Colombian Air Force was involved in a “tragic accident” while taking off from Puerto Leguízamo, in the Putumayo department of southern Colombia, as it was transporting troops, Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez reported on Monday.

The minister stated on social media that the exact number of victims and the causes of the crash have not yet been determined. He also extended his condolences to the families affected and urged the public to avoid speculation until official information is confirmed.

“This is a deeply painful event for the country. Our prayers are with the victims and their families,” Sánchez said, adding that emergency protocols have been activated and an investigation is underway.

Meanwhile, President Gustavo Petro expressed hope that there would be no fatalities in what he described as a “horrific accident that should not have happened.”

Petro also highlighted ongoing efforts to modernize the country’s air fleet and reiterated the need to acquire new helicopters and transport aircraft to strengthen military mobility, particularly in remote regions.

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According to local media reports, approximately 110 soldiers were on board the aircraft. So far, at least 20 injured military personnel have been rescued.

International

Paris prosecutors alert U.S. over alleged deepfake strategy linked to Elon Musk

The Paris Prosecutor’s Office said on Saturday that it had alerted authorities in the United States over suspicions that tech entrepreneur Elon Musk may have encouraged the spread of sexualized deepfake content on the social platform X to artificially boost the company’s valuation.

According to prosecutors, the controversy surrounding explicit AI-generated videos—reportedly linked to Grok, the platform’s artificial intelligence system—may have been deliberately triggered to increase the market value of X and X AI.

The office added that the alleged strategy could be tied to the planned June 2026 public listing of a new entity formed through the merger of SpaceX and X AI.

French authorities said they contacted the U.S. Department of Justice as well as legal representatives at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) earlier this week to share their concerns.

Responding on X in French to a report about the case, Musk referred to French prosecutors using an offensive term.

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When contacted, X’s legal representative in France did not immediately comment.

Grok, the platform’s AI system, has its own account on X, allowing users to interact with it or request content generation. For a period, users were able to tag the bot in posts to generate or edit images, a feature that may have facilitated the spread of such material.