LBC
Thousands of Italians gathered in the centre of Milan today for the state funeral of Silvio Berlusconi, as the nation mourns the loss of the controversial former prime minister.
Some 2,000 people attended central Milan today, cramming themselves into the city’s cathedral and the adjacent piazza, as they showed their respects for the former billionaire and his family.
Silvio Berlusconi held the position of Italian prime minister three times throughout his life, and was a public figure often caught in scandal and controversy, as he remains a divisive figure among the Italian public today.
He died aged 86 on Monday, ordering a day of national mourning for the rest of Italy for his funeral on Wednesday.
Mr Berlusconi’s wife, Marta Fascia, 33, and his children sobbed as his coffin was carried down the cathedral aisle and comforted each other at the same time.
While Silvio and Marta never officially married, the pair held a ‘fake’ ceremony and Marta was regarded the media tycoon’s third wife.
The billionaire tycoon will be cremated and his ashes held in a mausoleum he built for himself.
Mario Delpini, the Archbishop of Milan, presided over the funeral and delivered his eulogy.
The Archbishop said: “When a man is a politician, then he tries to win. There are those who exalt him and those who cannot stand him.
“When a man is a protagonist, then he is always on stage. He has those who applaud him and those who detest him.
“But in this moment of farewell and prayer, what can we say about Silvio Berlusconi? He has been a man: a desire for life, a desire for love, a desire for joy.
“He is a man and now he meets God.”
Crowds were filled with Berlusconi supporters, family members, world leaders and allies during the ceremony, including Hungary’s president Viktor Orban and Iraqi President Abdel Latif Rashid.
Former England manager Fabio Capello attended the cathedral too, as Berlusconi owned the Milan club from 1986 to 2017.
His coffin arrived in a motorcade from his villa, reportedly made of the same type of mahogany used for Jimi Hendrix’s guitars.
Despite the former prime minister’s controversy, many applauded as the coffin was carried into the cathedral to mark the beginning of the state funeral.
Giorgia Meloni, the country’s prime minister, ordered a day of national mourning for Mr Berlusconi despite typically reserving such honours for presidents only.
