After mourners were criticised for taking selfies with the body of Pope Francis earlier this week, you would think the world’s leaders would consider leaving their phones in their pockets for the pontiff’s funeral.
However, a number of dignitaries couldn’t resist pulling out their mobiles to take pictures and videos of the late Pope’s humble wooden casket as it was carried back towards St Peter’s Basilica.
As many in the front row – including US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron and Finland‘s President Alexander Stubb – burst into applause, those further back could be seen holding their devices aloft.
Among those capturing a sneaky shot of the Pope’s coffin was Switzerland’s president, Karin Keller-Sutter, and Deputy Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament, Tomas Tayebwa, who tweeted a picture of the coffin being carried out.
Following his death at the age of 88 on Monday, Pope Francis was today bid goodbye by some 250,000 mourners, including top global leaders and dignitaries.
Those in attendance included Sir Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy, as well as Prince William for the UK.
US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania were in attendance, as were the majority of European leaders, including Emmanual Macron, Olaf Scholz and Georgia Meloni.
Notably, while Ukrainian President Zelensky and his wife were present, Putin did not attend.
Monarchies from all over the world also sent representatives, with ten reigning monarchs also in attendance.