Italy bid farewell to its former prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, on Wednesday, in an official funeral attended by thousands of people, including senior politicians and a few foreign leaders, most notably Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Italy bid farewell to its former prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, on Wednesday, in an official funeral attended by thousands of people, including senior politicians and a few foreign leaders, most notably Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
The state funeral of the billionaire, who died at the age of 86 of leukemia, was held in the Milan Cathedral, and was accompanied by a national day of mourning, which not all Italians approved of, given Berlusconi’s controversial history.
Mario Delpini, Archbishop of Milan, who led the funeral service, summed up the Italian debate over Berlusconi: “When a man is a politician, he seeks to win. A politician has supporters and opponents. Some may admire him very much while others may not stand him.”
