MILAN – The last farewell to Silvio Berlusconi, ex prime minister, leader of Forza Italia as well as the most successful Italian entrepreneur, will be one of those reserved only for great personalities, with a funeral organized like a rock star concert. 2,000 people inside the Milan Cathedral, 20,000 outside and giant screens to allow the square to follow the funeral of “The Knight”, whose State funeral will be held tomorrow at 3 pm (Italian time), in a day of national mourning. The celebration will be presided over by Monsignor Mario Delpini, Archbishop of the city. →
VATICAN CITY – Tomorrow is the day of last farewell to Benedetto XVI, Pope Emeritus Joseph Ratzinger, who passed away on December 31st: at 9.30am Italian time (3.30am in Ontario), the funeral will take place in St. Peter’s Square, presided over by Pope Francis who today, during the general audience, recalled Ratzinger as a “great teacher of catechesis” with “sharp and polite” thinking, then invoking his help to “rediscover in Christ the joy of believing and the hope of living”. Applause and choirs: ‘Benedetto santo subito’ (saint immediately), chanted some of the faithful present. →
TORONTO – Maulana Naseem Mahdi, pillar of the Ahmadi community and a great supporter of integration, in Woodbridge and beyond, passed away. Last Friday, in the Bai`tul Islam Mosque (in the pic above) in Jane, on Teston Road, the public funeral took place in the presence of many people, including Corriere Canadese’s publisher Joe Volpe. →
TORONTO – The whole world is crying Raffaella Carrà, the queen of (not only) Italian television: there are titles in all languages, today, on the web, to pay homage to the showgirl, singer, dancer, actress and TV presenter who disappeared at 78 years after a life as an absolute protagonist of the entertainment world. In addition to the Italian media, even those of half of Europe, North America and South America have in fact announced the death of the “most loved by Italians”. And the last farewell promises to be equally global. →
The most loved by Italians. Raffaella Carrà ( in the photo), queen of Italian television, passed away today, July 5, at the age of 78, after battling a disease which he had preferred to keep secret. The sad news was given by his lifelong companion, Sergio Japino, with a few touching words: “She left us. She went to a better world”. →