World leaders have been slammed as "morbid" after several were spotted pulling out their phones during the funeral of to snap a photo of his coffin.
The late Pontiff was laid to rest at Rome's Santa Maria Maggiore basilica on Saturday, following a grand funeral at the steps of Basilica San Pietro. The service, the estimates, was attended by approximately 250,000 members of the public and several hundred leaders. They were front and centre on the global broadcast, meaning a handful of them were caught red-handed as they tried to sneak a photo of the Pope's coffin and funerary procession.
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Photos of leaders from around the world towards the end of the service show the vast majority of representatives standing in solemn respect as the Pope's coffin was brought back inside the basilica. But several could be seen with their arms outstretched clutching phones as they took photos of the procession making its way through the grand entrance to the building.
Just under 10 people were caught in the act, with notable figures including the Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter and Tomas Tayebwa, the Deputy Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament. The deputy speaker tweeted a picture of the coffin being carried from the steps of the basilica along with several others, including a selfie with former US President .
He said in the post: "I’m glad I had the chance to bid farewell to my spiritual leader who meant a lot to me personally. May His Soul Rest in Eternal Peace."
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Others sitting further back were also spotted taking pictures and videos of the Pope's procession, but their identities were obscured beneath sunglasses. Social media users were left taken aback after catching the dignitaries in the act, with some saying the Vatican should have banned all electronic devices.
One social media user said: "Who the hell takes photos of a funeral, never mind world leaders, outrageous. Electronic devices should have been banned."
A second social media user took their criticism a step further, saying it was "morbid" of the dignitaries to take a photo at the funeral. They said: "Taking pictures of the dead is morbid." The photo takers were not the only leaders blasted for apparent disrespect on Saturday, with also taken to task for wearing a suit that didn't seem to fit the dress code.
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The US President stuck out like a sore thumb at the front row of the dignitaries section with a dark blue suit that appeared several shades lighter than those of the people standing around him, including his wife, Melania.
Attendees were asked to wear dark, rather than explicitly black suits, but Mr Trump clearly stood out from the crowd, having already been placed at the front of the pack. Unimpressed members of the public were quick to spot the mistake, with one social media user commenting: "Why isn't Trump wearing a black suit? Such disrespect."
Another added: "Respect? He's not even wearing a black suit. At least Melania is attending the funeral in all black including a modest black veil. Wishing a real bad sunburn on his bald combover."
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