Newsweek's  Wolffe and Bailey wrote an article suggesting that the President's special outreach to Pope John Paul II was politically motivated and not reciprocated, concluding:

That account barely grasps the extent of the Holy See's opposition to the war in Iraq, as Clinton suggested in his own unsubtle way. But just in case President Bush has forgotten, there's another reminder of his tensions with the pope at the funeral on Friday. The president and his delegation occupy a worse seating position at the funeral than the Iranians. 

I watched the funeral and saw the President seated in a prominent position, second only (for reasons of protocol) to Chirac. Reuters confirms my recollection. 

France's President Jacques Chirac (L) and his wife Bernadette (2nd L), U.S. first lady Laura Bush (2nd R) and U.S. President George W. Bush (R) sit behind Spain's King Juan Carlos (front R) and Queen Sofia (front L) at the start of the funeral of the late Pope John Paul II at the Vatican April 8, 2005.  REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi 

Whom to believe? Newsweek or a couple billion "lying eyes"?
 
Clarice Feldman    4 11 05