Among them were Donald and Melania Trump, who journeyed to Italy to be a part of the sendoff. But was Melania really there? Well, there’s now a conspiracy theory online claims it wasn’t her but a body double.
Pope Francis has been mourned by millions worldwide. Born Jorge Bergoglio, he was pope for 12 years before passing away on Monday, April 21 at 88. Francis wasn’t an ordinary pope for many reasons.
He advocated for support for immigrants and those experiencing poverty, while refusing to live a lavish lifestyle. When Francis was elected, he declined to use the grand papal apartment on the top floor of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, instead moving into a modest two-room residence in the Domus Sanctae Marthae, previously used for guests. He also refused to accept the $32,000 monthly salary from the Catholic Church.
Wearing traditional clothing is a significant aspect of a pope’s role – and while some want to uphold traditions no matter what – Francis had other ideas.
Just a few weeks after he had been elected pope, his aides urged him to wear white trousers to match his white cassock. Speaking to NPR, Francis’ biographer, Auster Ivereigh, claimed the pope declined, saying: ”No thanks. I don’t want to look like an ice cream seller.”
The pope enjoyed spending time with “ordinary people,” helping those in need. Just a day before his death, though his health was waning, he decided to pass through the crowd in St. Peter’s Square in his so-called popemobile without the bulletproof glass around him. The crowd was estimated to be 50,000 people strong, and Francis smiled as he hugged members.
Pope Francis dead at 88
On Monday, April 21, the Vatican sadly announced his death
“Dear brothers and sisters, it is with profound sadness I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis,” Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced on the Vatican’s TV channel. “At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father.”
Pope Francis also left a will with his last wishes before his passing – and it included some quite special arrangements,
“Feeling that the sunset of my earthly life is approaching and with lively hope in Eternal Life, I wish to express my testamentary will only with regard to the place of my burial. I have always entrusted my life and my priestly and episcopal ministry to the Mother of Our Lord, Mary Most Holy,” Francis wrote.
“Therefore, I ask that my mortal remains rest awaiting the day of resurrection in the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. I wish that my last earthly journey conclude precisely in this ancient Marian sanctuary where I went for prayer at the beginning and end of each Apostolic Journey to confidently entrust my intentions to the Immaculate Mother and thank Her for her docile and maternal care. I ask that my tomb be prepared in the niche of the side nave between the Pauline Chapel (Chapel of the Salus Populi Romani) and the Sforza Chapel of the aforementioned Papal Basilica as indicated in the enclosed attachment.”
Donald and Melania Trump attended Pope Francis’ funeral service
Pope Francis continued: “The tomb must be in the earth; simple, without particular decoration and with the only inscription: Franciscus. The expenses for the preparation of my burial will be covered by the sum of the benefactor that I have arranged, to be transferred to the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and of which I have provided appropriate instructions to Mons. Rolandas Makrickas, Extraordinary Commissioner of the Liberian Chapter.”
The funeral for Pope Francis went ahead on Saturday. The Italian government confirmed that over 100 foreign delegations were in attendance. Donald Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, arrived in Rome on Friday, as did Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Other attendees included Argentina’s President, Javier Milei, the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, the French President, Emmanuel Macron, and Prince William.
The funeral mass began at 10 a.m., local time on Saturday in St Peter’s Square, with more than 200,000 pilgrims lining the streets. Francis’ casket, a simple zinc-lined wooden coffin, was then transferred in procession to Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica, about 2.5 miles away.
Francis’ body was covered in a red chasuble, a damask, and a gold-colored papal miter for the funeral. He was the first pope since Leo XII in 1903 to be buried outside the Vatican.
Now Pope Francis is buried, and mourners can visit his tomb to pay their respects. For the funeral, as Francis was the first pontiff from South America, representatives, including Argentine President Javier Milei, from his home country, sat in the front row. The same went for Italian President Sergio Mattarella, who also sat in the front row as the pope is the bishop of Rome,
Melania Trump’s ‘awkward’ meeting with the pope
Donald and Melania Trump walked into St Peter’s Square for the service just before it started. They were seated next to Estonian President Alar Karis, King Felipe VI of Spain, and Queen Letizia of Spain.
Melania Trump and Pope Francis had met once, though their meeting was reportedly awkward. Melania had previously claimed to be fluent in Italian, though a translator was on hand when she met the pope in 2017. Francis asked Melania if she fed her husband a special Slovenian cake called potica.
It quickly became apparent that Melania didn’t understand. She then turned to the interpreter, who explained his question. Melania then answered: “Potica, yes.”
In 2020, author and Washington Post reporter Mary Jordan revealed new details about the meeting in an unauthorized 2020 biography about Melania, The Art of Her Deal. Jordan claimed that the pope had received information that Melania spoke Italian before their encounter.
When Pope Francis extended his hand to Melania, she said, “Thank you. Nice to meet you,” in English, according to Jordan. However, the pope answered in Italian.
“She looked at him and said nothing,” Jordan wrote in The Art of Her Deal.
When a Vatican aide handed Melania Trump a rosary for the pope to bless, she again answered in English, “Oh, I would love it. Thank you. Grazie,” she said.
Melania Trump’ outfit for Pope Francis’ funeral service
Although Melania answered in English, she was familiar with at least some Italian words. When the pope asked where they were off to next, the First Lady replied, “I’m going to visit a hospital, for bambinos. Thank you so much.”
Melania Trump wore an all-black outfit for Pope Francis’ funeral service. According to Women’s Wear Daily, the outfit was from Italian designer label Dolce & Gabbana. The First Lady’s outfit was a double-breasted coat paired with a black mantilla and black gloves. The Italian fashion giant appears to be a popular choice for Melania, as she has worn Dolce & Gabbana several times in the past.
“She’s always had a great relationship with Dolce & Gabbana. She is a very faithful person and has been wearing their outfits for a long time. It made sense to chose them given the place of religion in Italian culture,” photographer Régine Mahaux told WWD.
Melania Trump appeared solemn at the funeral service. One can imagine she has had a close relationship with the papacy as Slovenia, per WWD, is 74 percent Catholic. However, while pictures of Donald and Melania arriving in Rome and attending Pope Francis’s funeral service have gone out to the world, some question whether she was even there.
X-account Call to Activism posted the video of Melania and Donald walking to the helicopter shortly before departing from the US to travel to Rome, captioning the video: “What do you notice about the way Trump and Melania just walked to the helicopter today?”
New body-double conspiracy involving Melania Trump
Many commented on the picture, and some believed it was possibly an imposter who stood in Melania’s shoes, not the First Lady herself.
“Melania never wears flat shoes either…I’m betting that this is the fake body double Melania because the real Melania did not want to have to go and stay with Trump overseas for the entire trip,” one person wrote.
Another wrote: “Fake Melania,” while a third stated, “Look at her face That’s NOT Melania.”
Another person added, “I don’t notice how they walked to the helicopter, but from the back, that is not Melania or DJT, IMO. Melania wouldn’t wear an off-the-rack coat. ” A fifth person claimed that Melania wasn’t even present at the pope’s funeral but that it was a body double.
This is not the first time Melania Trump has been accused of using a body double. On Election Day, November 6, last year, Medias Touch editor Ron Filipkowski shared a clip of Melania stating that she had “been wearing sunglasses inside all day today,” the conspiracy theories began spreading,
Some claimed she had been swapped with a body double for the cameras. “This is absolutely, categorically not Melania,” one X user wrote. “This imposter’s been wearing sunglasses indoors all day.”
“Fake Melania”
A second said: ‘How is a man who walks around with a fake wife even a contender for president?’ Another X user claimed: “The check didn’t clear in time for the real Melania to make an appearance, so they had to bring the doppelganger off the bench.”
As reported by the Daily Beast at the time, another user stated that several details ‘proved’ it was a “fake Melania.”
“Rings missing, wrong nail style & length, no smile lines in the jawline [or] lower cheek, bust is half the size it should be,” one stated, while another said that the woman in the video looked “20 years younger” than Melania Trump.
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