Italian and European politics meet in Milan for Berlusconi's state funeral that the opposition dismisses as "inopportune"

The state funeral of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who died on Monday at the age of 86, will gather today in the cathedral of Milan, his hometown, his family and friends, as well as national and European authorities, among other attendees .

The funeral will begin at 3:00 p.m. local time at the “Duomo” presided over by the Archbishop of Milan, Monsignor Mario Delpini, while the country lives a day of national mourning with flags at half mast as a sign of mourning.

The mortal remains of the tycoon, who died at the San Raffaele hospital in Milan due to leukemia, have been held in private for the past two days at his mansion in the nearby town of Arcore by his closest family, friends and associates.

The country's main representatives will participate in his funeral, such as the head of state, Sergio Mattarella, and Giorgia Meloni, prime minister of the coalition government of which Berlusconi's party, the conservative Forza Italia, is a part.

His girlfriend, the deputy Marta Fascina, his five children -Marina, Pier Silvio, Barbara, Eleonora and Luigi-, among other relatives, and the senior staff of his circle of trust and training will also attend.

In total, the Milan cathedral will accommodate some 1,800 attendees, according to the calculation made the day before by the organizers of the ceremony, which will have strict security measures.

Among the attendees, many well-known faces of Italian politics are expected, such as his friend the Vice President of the Government and ally, Matteo Salvini, and also rivals such as the secretary of the progressive Democratic Party, Elly Schlein, although there will also be some absences, such as that of Giuseppe Conte, former Prime Minister and leader of the M5S.

The European Commission will be represented by the Commissioner for the Economy and former Italian Prime Minister, Paolo Gentiloni, as the President of the Community Executive, Ursula von der Leyen, is on an official trip to Latin America.

The presence of the leader of the European People's Party, Manfred Weber, as well as politicians from the continent such as the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, is also expected, according to the media.

Other countries will be represented by ministers or other authorities, such as Spain, which will send the ambassador in Rome, Miguel Ángel Fernández-Palacios.

Thousands of followers and sympathizers are expected to gather on the huge esplanade that precedes the temple, up to 10,000 according to various media, who will be able to follow the liturgy from two giant screens.

State funerals in Italy are reserved for presidents of constitutional bodies, even after their mandate has expired, for ministers in the exercise of their functions or for personalities who have offered high services to the country.

Its celebration follows a strict protocol: the coffin must be transported by six officers of the Carabineros in full dress uniform and will receive military honors at the entrance and exit of the temple.

The decision of the right-wing government of Meloni to pay this high tribute to Berlusconi, as well as that of decreeing a day of national mourning, have received much criticism from some of his opponents.

They see him as “untimely” for being such a controversial politician, involved in sexual scandals, who had to perform community services in a nursing home for his conviction for tax fraud, accused of maintaining alleged links with Masonic lodges such as P2 and author of countless political tricks.