Italy bids farewell to Berlusconi with state funeral
Devotees of former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi bid him farewell in Milan on Wednesday at a state funeral for the controversial billionaire, which closes a 30-year chapter in the country's history. The coffin of the media mogul, adorned with white and red roses, was driven through the city from his villa in Arcore to the city's Gothic Duomo, with mourners clapping and waving along the route. It was then carried into the cathedral, escorted by a guard of honour, as his family walked behind. Thousands of the tycoon's supporters – including a delegation from his Monza football club – watched on giant screens set up in the square, as Archbishop Mario Delpini led the ceremony for Berlusconi, who died on Monday aged 86. "When a man is a politician, then he tries to win. There are those who exalt him and those who cannot stand him," Delpini said in his homily. "When a man is a protagonist, then he is always on stage. He has those who applaud him and those who detest him," he said. "But in this moment of farewell and prayer, what can we say about Silvio Berlusconi? He was a man: a desire for life, a desire for love, a desire for joy," he added. Berlusconi, adored and loathed by Italians in equal measure, had been ill for several years, though he remained the official head of his right-wing Forza Italia party, a member of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's coalition government.  Flags were lowered to half-mast on all public buildings from Monday in tribute to a leader whose influence extended well beyond politics, thanks to his extensive TV, newspaper and sporting interests. (AFP)