![]() Berlusconi's state funeral at Milan Cathedral | |
Date |
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Venue | Milan Cathedral |
Location | Milan, Italy |
Coordinates | 45°27′51″N9°11′29″E / 45.46417°N 9.19139°E |
Type | State funeral |
Participants | |
Burial | Chapel of Saint Martin, Villa San Martino, Arcore |
Cremation | Tempio Crematorio Valenziano Panta Rei, Valenza |
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On 12 June 2023, former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi died at the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, aged 86, due to complications from a severe form of chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia. [1] [2] On the same day, the Italian government announced a state funeral and proclaimed a national day of mourning for 14 June. [3]
On 27 March 2023, Silvio Berlusconi was admitted to San Raffaele Hospital for three days after suffering pains. In April 2023, Berlusconi was hospitalised at the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, [4] and was treated in intensive care, after suffering breathing problems, [5] [6] due to severe pneumonia caused by a form of leukaemia. [7] On 6 April, it was reported that Berlusconi started chemotherapy. [8]
After being discharged from the hospital on 19 May, Berlusconi was hospitalised again on 9 June 2023. His health conditions dramatically worsened in the night between 11 and 12 June, and he died at 9:30 (CET) on 12 June 2023. He was 86. [9] [10]
A few hours after his death, Berlusconi's body was brought to Villa San Martino, Berlusconi's mansion in Arcore, where he lay in state in the villa's private chapel. Due to security reasons, only relatives and close friends could access the chapelle ardente . [11] [12]
The following day, a requiem Mass in memory of the deceased was celebrated in the chapel by Father Giandomenico Colombo, priest in charge of Arcore and private chaplain of the mansion, at the presence of relatives and close friends. [13] [14]
Italy's Council of Ministers declared a day of national mourning on the day of the funeral, also ordering that flags be flown half mast for three days; this was met with protests and polemics by some members of the centre-left coalition, as well as some jurists and political scientists. [15]
Mario Delpini, the archbishop of Milan, officiated Berlusconi's Ambrosian Rite state funeral on 14 June 2023 in the Milan Cathedral. [16] Monsignor Delpini delivered an homily on the meaning of life, mentioning some elements of Berlusconi's life (business, public life, and politics). He concluded: "That's what we can say about Silvio Berlusconi: he was a man and now he will meet God." [17]
The homily caused controversy and different interpretations. It was described as "gelid" by Il Fatto Quotidiano , [18] while the Corriere della Sera described it as "a perfect portrait, devoid of any hypocrisy", saying that it was deeply appreciated by Berlusconi's family, [19] and Il Foglio called it "a great homily". [20] Il Messaggero remarked that the homily was inspired by the theology of Father Luigi Giussani, founder of Communion and Liberation. [21]
The funeral was attended by 2,300 people in the Cathedral and 15,000 people in the square outside of it. [22] Supporters of Berlusconi chanted C'è solo un presidente! ("There is only one president!") and applauded while the coffin was entering and then leaving the Cathedral. [23] Anti-communist chants were also reported. [24] [25]
After the religious ceremony, Berlusconi's body was brought back to Villa San Martino; he was then transferred to the Tempio Crematorio Valenziano Panta Rei in Valenza, where he was cremated. His ashes were then interred in the Chapel of Saint Martin in the mansion grounds, close to the resting place of his parents Luigi and Rosa, and his sister Maria Antonietta. [46]
Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, expressed his sorrow for the death of the Italian leader. He said: "I want to remember him like this, as the person who — in our much-loved sport — he dreamed and then turned those thoughts into reality. A big hug and my deepest condolences to all those who loved him. And thank you for making us love this amazing game." [88] [89] Several football clubs, including Berlusconi's former club AC Milan, [82] along with his then current club AC Monza, FC Barcelona, and Real Madrid, expressed their condolences through separate statements on their social media accounts. [90] Several world football figures also dedicated a comment; Paolo Maldini said: "A genius, visionary and dreamer leaves us, but above all a friend who changed the history of our Italy. Thank you for everything President, you made all Milan fans live a dream that lasted more than 30 years, no one will be like you." [90] Franco Baresi stated: "I feel more alone. For me he was like a father, a unique and endearing president for everyone. He made my dreams come true." [90]
The decision to declare a day of national mourning and the order for flags to be flown half-mast caused protests and controversy. Several members of the centre-left opposition protested against it, calling it inappropriate considering the scandals Berlusconi went through. A woman showed up in the square in front of the Milan Cathedral wearing a T-shirt stating Io non sono in lutto ("I am not mourning"); she was heavily contested by Berlusconi's supporters and eventually removed by the Polizia di Stato . A young man also protested in front of the Chamber of Deputies showing a sign stating Non il mio lutto ("Not my mourning"). [91]
Tomaso Montanari, rector of the Università per Stranieri di Siena and well-known left-wing activist, refused to fly the university's flags half-mast, calling it inappropriate and citing academic freedom; he said that by doing so for Berlusconi, his university would "lose all educational and moral credibility." [25] He was harshly criticised by centre-right politicians and by Matteo Renzi (leader of Italia Viva and editor of Il Riformista ), who called for his resignation on the grounds that the rector could be indicted for not observing public orders. A petition was launched in his support on Change.org, collecting more than 20,000 signatures. [92] [93] Marco Travaglio, editor of Il Fatto Quotidiano and a well-known Berlusconi critic, was harshly critical towards what he perceived as a beatification of the deceased leader, citing his multiple scandals. [94]
Protests also came from the Communist Refoundation Party, the Greens and Left Alliance, and some members of the Democratic Party (PD). [95] Rosy Bindi, a former member of the PD who was often the target of Berlusconi's sexist jibes, said that the national day of mourning was "disrespectful toward the majority" who opposed him. [25] Some opposition leaders, such as Giuseppe Conte, Nicola Fratoianni, and Angelo Bonelli, refused to attend the state funeral. [25] [96] While expressing his condolences to Berlusconi's family and those close to him, [97] Conte said that it would have been hypocritical otherwise, citing respect for the values and principles of the Five Star Movement, which he said has a "completely distant history" from that of Berlusconi; [98] he criticised what he called "a public-private media system which has begun blatantly hagiographic reconstructions". [99]
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