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List of dignitaries at the state funeral of Pope John Paul II
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This is a list of dignitaries at the state funeral of Pope John Paul II. After the death of Pope John Paul II on 2 April 2005, in Vatican City, and before official invitations were sent by the College of Cardinals, almost 200 countries expressed interest in sending representatives to his funeral. The funeral took place on 8 April 2005, and was one of the largest gathering of statesmen and world leaders in history.[1] Some of the dignitaries later attended the installation of Pope Benedict XVI on 24 April 2005.
Map indicating countries that sent official dignitaries at the funeral of Pope John Paul II
In order to accommodate all interested parties wishing to receive a seat during the Mass of Requiem, the Holy See limited the number of members in each official diplomatic delegation to five people, except for the Polish delegation which, being John Paul II's homeland, was allowed ten people, and the delegation from Italy. The limit did not exclude other people of any nationality from attaining individual invitations, unrelated to the individual's country's delegation: for example, the attendance of Fernando Henrique Cardoso, former president of Brazil, had no connection with the Brazilian delegation. In addition to a country's official delegation, any number of government officials were permitted to attend as pilgrim travellers, remaining outside the basilica during the Mass of Requiem with the general public. For example, the United States delegation included the president and first lady, two former presidents, and the secretary of state, and they all had seats in the basilica during the Mass of Requiem. Dozens of members of the Congress of the United States attended the Mass of Requiem, congregating among the general public outside the basilica.
At the funeral, the dignitaries were seated alphabetically according to the French spelling of their country's name[2] and arranged according to diplomatic protocol.
10 sovereigns, 80 past and present elected heads of state, 75 heads of governments and numerous dignitaries from 18 multilateral organizations, 15 religions and 112 countries attended this Mass.
List of official delegations (in alphabetical order, incomplete)
A
| Country | Flag | Official delegation | Titles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | Hamid Karzai Abdullah Abdullah Zalmay Rasul Mostapha Zaher Mohammad Nadir Hatami | President of the Republic Minister of Foreign Affairs Counsellor for National Security Ambassador First Secretary | |
| Albania | Alfred Moisiu Fatos Nano Sali Berisha Rexhep Meidani Mirella Moisiu | President of the Republic Prime Minister Former President of the Republic Former President of the Republic Daughter of the President of the Republic | |
| Algeria | Abdelaziz Bouteflika Bouabdalla Ghoulamallah Mokhtar Reguieg | President of the Republic Minister of Religious Affairs Ambassador | |
| Andorra | Joan Enric Vives Sicília Jacques Chirac Marc Forné Molné Maria Lluisa Gispert de Forné Juli Minoves-Triquell Josep Angel Mortès Pons | Co-Prince Co-Prince Head of Government Consort of the Head of Government Minister of Foreign Affairs Vice-President of Parliament | |
| Angola | José Eduardo dos Santos Ana Paula Dos Santos João Bernardo de Miranda Boaventura da Silva Cardoso José Filipe | President of the Republic Consort of the President of the Republic Minister of Foreign Affairs Minister of Culture Chief of Protocol of the Presidency | |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Carl Roberts | Ambassador | |
| Argentina | Daniel Scioli Rafael Bielsa Guillermo Rodolfo Oliveri | Vice-President of the Republic Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Religious Affairs Secretary of State for Religious Affairs | |
| Armenia | Andranik Markaryan Edward Nalbandian Rouben Shugarian Armen Bayburtian Gevorg Hakobian | Prime Minister Ambassador to the Holy See Ambassador Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs First Assistant to the Prime Minister | |
| Australia | Michael Jeffery Marlena Jeffery Maria Cicutto Robert Hunter Ted Knez | Governor-General of Australia Wife of the Governor-General Embassy Counsellor | |
| Austria | Heinz Fischer Margit Fischer Wolfgang Schüssel Hubert Gorbach Andreas Khol | Federal President First Lady Federal Chancellor Vice-Chancellor President of the Chamber of Deputies | |
| Azerbaijan | Ilham Aliyev | President of the Republic |
B
| Country | Flag | Official delegation | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bangladesh | Chowdhury Kamal Ibne Yusuf | Food and Disaster Management Minister | |
| Belarus | Gennady Novitsky Vladimir Korolev Aleksei Skripko | President of the Council of the Republic of Belarus Ambassador to the Vatican Ambassador | |
| Belgium | King Albert II Queen Paola Guy Verhofstadt Didier Reynders Herman De Croo | King of the Belgians Queen Consort Prime Minister of Belgium Deputy Prime Minister President of the Lower House | |
| Bolivia | Carlos Mesa Elvira Salinas de Mesa José Ignacio Siles | President of the Republic First Lady Ambassador | |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Borislav Paravac Šefik Džaferović Bariša Čolak | Chairman of the Presidency President of Parliament Deputy Prime Minister | |
| Brazil | Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Fernando Henrique Cardoso Itamar Franco José Sarney Marisa Letícia da Silva Renan Calheiros Severino Cavalcanti Nelson Jobim | President of the Republic Former President Former President Former President First Lady President of the Senate President of the Chamber of Deputies President of the Supreme Federal Court | |
| Bulgaria | Georgi Parvanov | President of the Republic |
C
| Country | Flag | Official delegation | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | Paul Martin Sheila Martin Stephen Harper Phil Fontaine | Prime Minister of Canada Wife of the Prime Minister Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations | |
| Chile | Ignacio Walker Sergio Romero José Antonio Viera Gallo Gabriel Ascencio Pablo Longueira | Minister of Foreign Affairs President of the Senate Socialist senator President of the Chamber of Deputies UDI deputy | |
| Republic of China[1] | Chen Shui-bian Chen Tang-san | President Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| Colombia | Francisco Santos Calderon María Victoria Santos | Vice-President of the Republic Spouse of Vice-President of the Republic | |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | Joseph Kabila Jean-Pierre Bemba | President of the Republic Vice-President of the Republic | |
| Costa Rica | Abel Pacheco Roberto Tovar Faja | President of the Republic Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| Croatia | Stipe Mesić Ivo Sanader | President of the Republic Prime Minister | |
| Cuba | Ricardo Alarcón Caridad Diego Raúl Roa Kourí | President of the National Assembly Chief of Religious Affairs of the Communist Party of Cuba Ambassador to the Holy See | |
| Cyprus | Tassos Papadopoulos George Poulides Tasos Tzionis | President of the Republic Ambassador to the Holy See Director of the Diplomatic Office of the President | |
| Czech Republic | Václav Klaus Cyril Svoboda | President of the Republic Minister of Foreign Affairs |
D
| Country | Flag | Official delegation | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denmark | Queen Margrethe II Prince Henrik Anders Fogh Rasmussen | Queen of Denmark Prince Consort Prime Minister of Denmark | |
| Dominican Republic | Margarita Cedeño de Fernández Alejandrina Germán Carlos Rafael Marión-Landais | First Lady Secretary of Education Ambassador to the Holy See |
E
| Country | Flag | Official delegation | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ecuador | Lucio Gutiérrez Ximena Bohórquez Patricio Zuquilanda | President of the Republic First Lady Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| Egypt | Farouk Hosni | Minister of Culture | |
| El Salvador | Francisco Laínez Ana Ligia Mixco Sol de Saca René Figueroa Roberto Simán María Eugenia Brizuela de Ávila | Minister of Foreign Affairs First Lady Minister of the Interior former Ambassador to the Holy See former Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| Equatorial Guinea | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo | President of the Republic | |
| Estonia | Arnold Rüütel | President of the Republic |
F
| Country | Flag | Official delegation | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finland | Matti Vanhanen | Prime Minister of Finland | |
| France | Jacques Chirac Bernadette Chirac | President of the French Republic Wife of the President of the French Republic |
G
| Country | Flag | Official delegation | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | Horst Köhler Wolfgang Thierse Gerhard Schröder Joschka Fischer Dieter Althaus | President President of the Bundestag Chancellor Minister of Foreign Affairs Vice-President of the Bundesrat | |
| Ghana | John Kufuor | President of the Republic | |
| Greece | Karolos Papoulias Panagiotis Skandalakis Konstantinos Georgiou | President of the Republic Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs General Secretary of the Presidency | |
| Guatemala | Óscar Berger Wendy de Berger Jorge Briz Abularach Rigoberta Menchú | President of the Republic First Lady Minister of Foreign Affairs Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 1992 | |
| Guinea | Sidibé Fatoumata Kaba | Minister of Foreign Affairs |
H
| Country | Flag | Official delegation | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haiti | Gérard Latortue | Prime Minister | |
| Honduras | Ricardo Maduro | President of the Republic | |
| Hungary | Ferenc Mádl Dalma Mádl Ferenc Gyurcsány Viktor Orbán Katalin Szili | President of the Republic First Lady Prime Minister Former Prime Minister President of Parliament |
I
| Country | Flag | Official delegation | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | Bhairon Singh Shekhawat P.R. Kyndiah Oscar Fernandes | Vice President of India Minister of Tribal Issues and the Development of the North-East Minister of Relations with the Parliament | |
| Indonesia | Alwi Shihab Maftuh Basyuni Freddy Numberi | Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Minister of Religious Affairs Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, former Ambassador to Italy | |
| Iran | Mohammad Khatami | President of Iran | |
| Iraq | Ayad Allawi | Prime Minister of Iraq | |
| Ireland | Mary McAleese Bertie Ahern Mary Harney | President of Ireland Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Tánaiste (Deputy-Prime Minister) | |
| Israel | Moshe Katsav Silvan Shalom | President of Israel Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| Italy | Carlo Azeglio Ciampi Franca Ciampi Silvio Berlusconi Gaetano Gifuni Antonio Puri Purini Gianfranco Mazzuoli Marcello Pera Pier Ferdinando Casini Piero Alberto Capotosti Gianfranco Fini | President of the Italian Republic Wife of the President Prime Minister of Italy Counsellor of State, General Secretary of the Presidency Diplomatic Counsellor to the Presidency Counsellor Coordinator at the Presidency President of the Senate President of the Chamber of Deputies President of the Constitutional Court Minister of Foreign Affairs |
J
| Country | Flag | Official delegation | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | Yoriko Kawaguchi | Advisor to the Prime Minister | |
| Jordan | King Abdullah II Queen Rania | King of Jordan Queen Consort |
K
| Country | Flag | Official delegation | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya | Chirau Ali Mwakwere | Minister of foreign affairs | |
| Kuwait | Jaber Al Abdullah Al Jaber Al Sabah | Member of the royal family |
L
| Country | Flag | Official delegation | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Latvia | Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga | President of the Republic | |
| Lebanon | Émile Lahoud Omar Karami Issam Fares Nabih Berri | President of the Republic Prime Minister Deputy Prime Minister Speaker of Parliament | |
| Lesotho | King Letsie III Monyane Moleleki | King of Lesotho Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| Liechtenstein | Prince Hans-Adam II Princess Marie Prince Nikolaus Princess Margaretha | The Sovereign Prince of Liechtenstein Princess Consort Ambassador to the Holy See wife of the ambassador to the Holy See | |
| Lithuania | Valdas Adamkus | President of the Republic | |
| Luxembourg | Grand Duke Henri Grand Duchess Maria Teresa Jean-Claude Juncker | Grand Duke of Luxembourg Grand Duchess of Luxembourg (consort) Prime Minister of Luxembourg |
M
| Country | Flag | Official delegation | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Macedonia | Branko Crvenkovski | President | |
| Madagascar | Marc Ravalomanana | President | |
| Malta | Eddie Fenech Adami Mary Fenech Adami Lawrence Gonzi Kate Gonzi Michael Frendo Guido de Marco Violet de Marco Anton Tabone Alfred Sant | President of Malta First Lady of Malta Prime Minister of Malta Spouse of the Prime Minister Minister of Foreign Affairs Former President of Malta Former First Lady Speaker of the Parliament Leader of the Opposition | |
| Mauritius | Paul Bérenger | Prime Minister | |
| Mexico | Vicente Fox Marta Sahagún | President of Mexico First Lady of Mexico | |
| Monaco [2] | Patrick Leclercq | Minister of State | |
| Morocco | Prince Moulay Rachid | Prince and brother of King Muhammad VI |
N
| Country | Flag | Official delegation | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | Jan Peter Balkenende | Prime Minister of the Netherlands | |
| New Zealand | Dame Silvia Cartwright Peter Cartwright | Governor-General of New Zealand Spouse of the Governor General | |
| Nicaragua | Enrique Bolaños Norman José Caldera Cardenal Armando Luna José Cuadra | President of the Republic Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador to the Holy See Ambassador to Italy | |
| Nigeria | Olusegun Obasanjo | President | |
| Norway | Queen Sonja Kjell Magne Bondevik | Queen Consort Prime Minister of Norway |
P
| Country | Flag | Official delegation | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pakistan | Muhammad Ijaz-ul-Haq | Minister of Religious Affairs | |
| Palestine (Palestinian National Authority) | Ahmed Qurei Ghazi Hanania Afif Safieh Nimer Hammad Mustafa Abu El-Rub | Prime Minister of Palestine Spokesman for the Legislative Council Director of the Diplomatic Representation to the Holy See General Delegate in Italy Assistant to the Prime Minister | |
| Panama | Martín Torrijos Vivian Fernández de Torrijos | President First Lady | |
| Paraguay | Luis Castiglioni Leila Rachid de Cowles | Vice-President of the Republic Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| Peru | Manuel Rodríguez Cuadros Eliane Karp Eduardo Salhuana Antero Flores Aráoz | Minister of Foreign Affairs First Lady Minister of Justice President of the Congress of the Republic | |
| Philippines | Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Evangelina Lourdes Arroyo Thelmo Cunanan Georgina de Venecia Howard Dee | President of the Philippines Presidential Daughter SS chairman (former ambassador to Cambodia) wife of House Speaker Jose de Venecia, Jr. former Ambassador to the Holy See | |
| Poland | Aleksander Kwaśniewski Jolanta Kwaśniewska Lech Wałęsa Danuta Wałęsa Marek Belka Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz Longin Pastusiak Hanna Suchocka Tadeusz Mazowiecki Wiesław Chrzanowski | President of the Republic First Lady former President of the Republic former First Lady Prime Minister Marshal of the Sejm Marshal of the Senate Ambassador to the Holy See former Prime Minister former Marshal of the Sejm | |
| Portugal | Jorge Sampaio Maria Jose Ritta Diogo Freitas do Amaral António dos Santos Ramalho Eanes | President of the Republic First Lady Minister of Foreign Affairs former President of the Republic |
Q
| Country | Flag | Official delegation | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qatar | Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani | Emir of Qatar |
R
| Country | Flag | Official delegation | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Romania | Traian Băsescu Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu King Michael I Emil Constantinescu Ion Iliescu | President of the Republic Prime Minister former King of Romania former President of the Republic former President of the Republic | |
| Russia | Mikhail Fradkov | Prime Minister of Russia | |
| Rwanda | Charles Murigande | Minister of Foreign Affairs |
S
| Country | Flag | Official delegation | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Marino | Fausta Simona Morganti Cesare Antonio Gasperoni Fabio Berardi Giovanni Galassi Marcello Beccari | Captain Regent Captain Regent Secretary of State for Foreign and Political Affairs Ambassador to the Holy See Chief of State Protocol | |
| Saudi Arabia | Abdulmohsin bin Abdulaziz Al-Akkas Hamad Al-Hajri Ibrahim Al-Manie | Minister of Social Affairs | |
| Senegal | Abdoulaye Wade | President of the Republic | |
| Serbia and Montenegro | Svetozar Marović Vuk Drašković Boris Tadić Filip Vujanović Darko Tanasković | President of the Republic Minister of Foreign Affairs President of Serbia President of Montenegro Ambassador to the Holy See | |
| Singapore | Shunmugam Jayakumar Walter Woon Alexander Lim | Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Law Ambassador to the Holy See First Secretary | |
| Slovakia | Ivan Gašparovič Pavol Hrušovský Eduard Kukan | President of the Republic President of Parliament Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| Slovenia | Janez Drnovšek Janez Janša | President of the Republic Prime Minister | |
| South Africa | Jacob Zuma Lenin Shope N.J. Baloyi | Vice President of the Republic Ambassador Vice President's advisor | |
| South Korea | Lee Hai-chan | Prime Minister | |
| Spain | King Juan Carlos I Queen Sofía José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero Miguel Ángel Moratinos Mariano Rajoy | King of Spain Queen Consort Prime Minister Minister of Foreign Affairs Leader of the Opposition | |
| Sri Lanka | Mahinda Rajapakse Milroy Fernando | Prime Minister Minister of Christian Affairs | |
| Sweden | King Carl XVI Gustaf Queen Silvia Göran Persson | King of Sweden Queen Consort Prime Minister of Sweden | |
| Switzerland | Samuel Schmid | President of the Confederation | |
| Syria | Bashar al-Assad Asma al-Assad | President of the Republic First Lady |
T
| Country | Flag | Official delegation | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tanzania | George Kahama | Minister for Cooperative Development | |
| Thailand | Surakiart Sathirathai | Deputy Prime Minister | |
| Tunisia | Mohamed Ghannouchi | Prime Minister | |
| Turkey | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Mehmet Aydin | Prime Minister Minister of State |
U
| Country | Flag | Official delegation | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uganda | Gilbert Bukenya | Vice-President of the Republic | |
| Ukraine | Viktor Yushchenko Kateryna Yushchenko | President First Lady | |
| United Arab Emirates | Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan | Minister of Information | |
| United Kingdom | Prince Charles Tony Blair Cherie Blair Michael Howard Charles Kennedy | Prince of Wales Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Spouse of the Prime Minister Leader of Her Majesty's Opposition Liberal Democrat leader | |
| United States | George W. Bush Laura Bush Condoleezza Rice George H. W. Bush Bill Clinton | President of the United States of America First Lady Secretary of State of the United States of America Former President Former President | |
| Uruguay | María Auxiliadora Delgado de Vázquez | First Lady |
V
| Country | Flag | Official delegation | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venezuela | Alí Rodríguez Jorge Giordanni Rodrigo Chávez Roy Chaderton | Minister of Foreign Affairs Minister of Planning Ambassador to Italy Ambassador to France |
Z
| Country | Flag | Official delegation | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zimbabwe | Robert Mugabe Herbert Murerwa Mr Bimha Mr Chihuri Mary Margaret Muchada | President Minister of Advanced Education Secretary to Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Personal Assistant to the President Ambassador |
Notes
- ^ "China" used here refers to the Republic of China (ROC) and commonly known as Taiwan, rather than the People's Republic of China (PRC), which does not have diplomatic relations with the Holy See and did not receive any invitations to the funeral. Although the ROC Government lost control of Mainland China at the end of the Chinese Civil War, the Holy See still recognizes the ROC, but not the PRC, as the legitimate representative for the government of "China". [3]
- ^ The low representation of Monaco is due to the death of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco. Monaco's head of state died two days before the funeral of the Pope.
International organizations
| Organization | Flag | Official delegation | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sovereign Military Order of the Knights of Malta | Fra' Andrew Bertie Fra' Giacomo Dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto Count Jacques de Liedekerke Marquis Gian Luca Chiavari Jean-Pierre Mazery | Prince and Grand Master Grand Commander Grand Chancellor | |
| Council of Europe | Terry Davis Adam Daniel Rotfeld Rene van der Linden Giovanni di Stasi | secretary-general président du Comité des ministres président de l'Assemblée parlementaire président du Congrès des pouvoirs locaux et régionaux | |
| Arab League | Amr Moussa Mohamed Ali Nasser Hala Gad | secretary-general Chief of Protocol, Ambassador Member of the Office of the Secretary General | |
| United Nations | Kofi Annan Nane Annan Donald Patterson | Secretary-General Spouse of the Secretary General | |
| European Union | José Manuel Barroso Jean-Claude Juncker Josep Borrell Danuta Hübner Franco Frattini Benita Ferrero-Waldner | president of the European Commission president of the European Council president of the European Parliament commissioner in charge of Regional Policy commissioner in charge of Justice commissioner in charge of external relations | |
| NATO | Jaap de Hoop Scheffer Jeannine de Hoop Scheffer Alessandro Minuto-Rizzo | secretary-general Consort of the Secretary General Vice-Secretary General, Ambassador | |
| OSCE | Dimitrij Rupel Ján Kubis Tatjana Pirc | foreign minister of Slovenia, acting president of the OSCE secretary general of the OSCE second secretary of the ministry of foreign affairs of Slovenia | |
| ILO | Juan Somavia Dominique Peccoud Maria Angelica Ducci | Director General Coordinator for Relations with the Holy See Office Head | |
| FAO | Jacques Diouf David Harsharik Michel Savini | Director General Adjunct Director General Head of the Office of the Director General | |
| UNESCO | Koïchiro Matsuura Krista Pikkat | Director General Office Member | |
| IFAD | Lennart Båge Ewa Westman Båge Cyril Enweze | President Consort of the President Vice-President | |
| Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees | Kamel Morjane Walter Irvine Michele Manca di Nissa | Assistant to the High Commissioner Delegate for Italy, Malta, San Marino and the Holy See Vice-Delegate for Italy, Malta, San Marino and the Holy See | |
| World Food Programme | James T. Morris John Powell Susana Malcorra | Executive Director Adjunct Executive Director Adjunct Executive Director | |
| U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime | Antonio Maria Costa | Executive Director of UNODC |
Religious leaders
Eastern Christian Churches
- Bartholomew I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, primus inter pares of the Eastern Orthodox Church
- Karekin II, Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church
- Abune Paulos, Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
- Mesrob II Mutafyan, Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul and Turkey
- Christodoulos, Archbishop of Athens
- Anastasios, Archbishop of Tirana, Durrës, and all Albania
- Jovan, Metropolitan of Zagreb-Ljubljana and All-Italy of the Serbian Orthodox Church
- Kirill, Metropolitan of Smolensk-Kaliningrad, head of the Department of Interchurch relations of the Russian Orthodox Church
- Lavrentije, Bishop of Šabac and Valjevo of the Serbian Orthodox Church
- Leo, Archbishop of Karelia and All Finland
- Seraphim, Bishop of Ottawa, of the Orthodox Church in America
Anglican Communion
- Rowan Williams, Lord Archbishop of Canterbury and Primate of All England, spiritual leader of the Church of England and primus inter pares of the Anglican Communion
Protestant Churches
- Dr Alison Elliot, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
- K. G. Hammar, Archbishop of Uppsala, Head of the Church of Sweden
- Jukka Paarma, Archbishop of Turku, Head of the Church of Finland
- Finn Wagle, Bishop of Nidaros and Primus of the Norwegian Lutheran State Church (part of Norwegian official delegation)
Jewish religious leaders
- Oded Viener, representing the Chief Rabbis of Israel
- Shear-Yishuv Cohen, Chief Rabbi of Haifa
- Riccardo Di Segni, Chief Rabbi of Rome
Druze religious leaders
- Mowafaq Tarif, The spiritual leader of the Druze community in Israel[3]
Unofficial delegations
A selection of dignitaries not seated in the section for official national delegations during the funeral:
Brazil
Individually invited (by the Holy See):
- Fernando Henrique Cardoso, former President of Brazil
- Itamar Franco, Brazilian Ambassador to Italy; former President of Brazil
- Bishop Odilo Scherer, secretary-general of the CNBB (Assembly of the Brazilian Bishops)
Presidential delegation (invited by the President, but did not seat for Mass of Requiem):
- José Sarney, Brazilian senator; former President of Brazil and former president of the Brazilian Senate
- Henry Sobel, leading Rabbi of the Brazilian Jewish community
- Sheik Armando Hussein Saleh, of the "Brazilian Mosque" (representing the Muslims of Brazil)
- Rolf Schunemann, of the Brazilian Lutheran Church (representing the Protestants of Brazil)
- Father João Áviz, Archbishop of Brasília
- Father José Ernanne, representing the Brazilian clergy
Canada
All representing Quebec
- Gérald Tremblay, Mayor of Montreal
- Louise Harel, Representative of the Parti Québécois
- Mario Dumont, Member of the National Assembly of Quebec
Germany
- Angela Merkel, Party leader of the CDU
- Edmund Stoiber, Minister-President of Bavaria
Philippines
- Leonida Vera, ambassador to the Holy See
- Hermilando Mandanas, Batangas congressman
United States
Members of Congress and other dignitaries (not part of the official delegation, thus no VIP treatment):
- John Kerry, Senator from Massachusetts
- Bill Frist, Senate Majority Leader, Republican, from Tennessee
- Ted Kennedy, Senator from Massachusetts, last living brother of John F. Kennedy (the first Catholic to serve as President).
- White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card
- New York Governor George Pataki
- New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg
Notes and references
- ^ Kulish, N; Cowell, A (9 December 2013). "Scores of Leaders Heading to South Africa for Service". NYC Times. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
- ^ Vries, Lloyd (8 April 2005). "Pope Seating Chart Easy As ABC". CBS News. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
- ^ Greetings by Pope Benedict XVI to religious leaders in the Galilee
External links
- Official (Religious and Political) Delegations in attendance