![]() ![]() Other nations sent ambassadors to the funeral organized just two days following his death Monday after being hospitalized for treatment of chronic leukemia.Ĭritics challenged whether Berlusconi deserved a state funeral, an honor that can be bestowed on former heads of state, or the more rarely invoked national day of mourning that saw flags flying at half-staff and canceled all political activity not related to charity. One of his closest remaining allies on the international scene, Russian President Vladimir Putin, offered heartfelt condolences from Moscow. With Berlusconi out of power for more than a decade, just two heads of government attended the funeral: Hungarian President Viktor Orban and Qatar’s ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Captains of industry also paid their respects, as did representatives from the soccer world he loved. The pews were filled with three ex-premiers, none of them Berlusconi allies Italy’s president, Premier Giorgia Meloni, whose government relies on the support of Berlusconi’s party, along with their third coalition partner, League leader Matteo Salvini and a host of ministers past and present. ![]() Their applause quickened as it reached the altar, trailed by his children and companion, who openly wept. Mourners inside the cavernous Gothic-era cathedral rose to their feet as Berlusconi’s coffin, bedecked in red and white roses, was pushed down the main nave to the altar to haunting choral music.
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