Last farewell to three-time Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on June 13, 2023

Family and friends of Silvio Berlusconi On Tuesday they will say goodbye to the three-time Prime Minister of Italy, who died yesterday at the age of 86 at San Raffaele Hospital in Milan.

The coffin of the deceased tycoon, sick with leukemia, lies in his Villa Martino de Arcore, a town near Monza, about twenty kilometers north of Milan. The funeral chapel is not open to the public for security reasons and is reserved exclusively for close relatives.

Dozens of anonymous citizens have come to lay flowers in the vicinity of the city. It was expected that Berlusconi’s funeral chapel would move to the headquarters of his company Mediaset in Cologno Monzese, on the outskirts of Milan, but in the end that was not the case.

He funeral will take place in the “Duomo” or cathedral of Milan at 3 p.m. local time (1 p.m. GMT) on Wednesday in the presence of authorities from the political, social and economic life of the country, led by the head of state, Sergio Mattarella. The funeral will be presided over by the Archbishop of Milan, Monsignor Mario Delphini.

In addition, giant screens will be installed in the “Duomo” square, allowing people to watch the funeral live via a television signal produced by Mediaset, the magnate’s media conglomerate, local media reported.

At the moment, the authorities have not defined the maximum capacity expected to be admitted to the temple, which has a maximum capacity of about 5,000 people.

The politician and businessman had been ill for a while, and it was bothering him chronic myelomonocytic leukemia. Berlusconi was admitted to hospital last Friday, three weeks after being discharged for 44 days in hospital with pneumonia. The health of the Forza Italia founder had deteriorated in recent months, with hospital admissions continuing, and concern had increased significantly in recent hours.

Reactions inside and outside Italy

Italian Prime Minister, Georgia Meloni, has justified Berlusconi as “one of the most influential men in the history of Italy”. “Berlusconi was above all a fighter, a man who was never afraid to defend his convictions, with courage and determination,” said his ally in the Italian government.

The leader of the League, the other formation of the Executive, Matthew Salvini, lamented the death of “a great man and a great Italian”. The leader of the Democratic Party (PD), Enrico Lettapointed out that his death affects the whole country because Berlusconi “made history”, a recognition also granted by the president of the 5 Star Movement (M5S), Giuseppe Conte. Even his opponents, Conte added, can recognize that “he has never lacked courage, passion and tenacity”.

former prime minister Matthew Renzi, has confirmed that it evoked all sorts of feelings – “many loved it, many hated it” – but it has influenced that, regardless of political considerations, “it made history”. another former prime minister roman producthas emphasized his “long and intense” public commitment which has exerted “great influence” in Italy.

He Pope Francisco He remembered him as “a protagonist” of national politics and for his “energetic temperament”. In a telegram, he conveyed to his family “his closeness, which made him participate sincerely in the mourning for the loss of a protagonist in Italian political life”.

In the European Union, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsol, has singled out Berlusconi as a “fighter” who led the centre-right. “He has left his mark and will not be forgotten,” he assured.

In the international arena, the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has remembered him as a “magnificent person” and a “true patriot”, who helped to improve relations between Russia and European countries at the time. “He was a world-class politician. There aren’t many people like him anymore in the international arena,” he said.