Royalty and presidents attended a Vatican ceremony for John Paul II
on Sunday, including controversial Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe
and EU leaders who came under fire for taking part.
Mugabe, a
practising Catholic, flew into Rome on Saturday with his wife Grace
under a special exemption from a European Union travel ban imposed
against him in 2002 for multiple human rights abuses under his rule.
Italy
has been criticised by rights activists for letting the 87-year old
leader transit through Rome to the Holy See. The Zimbabwean leader
previously stirred controversy when he attended John Paul II's funeral
in 2005.
Rights activists and liberals also condemned the presence
of Hungary's right-wing prime minister Vicktor Orban, criticised for a
new constitution which includes references to Christianity and
traditional family values.
Eighty-seven official delegations in total attended the ceremony.
Seven
prime ministers and 16 heads of state looked on as Pope Benedict XVI
celebrated mass, including President Bronislaw Komorowski of Poland at
the head of a large delegation from John Paul II's native country.
Several
European Union delegates were present, including EU Commission head
Jose Manuel Barroso, the Polish president of the European Parliament
Jerzy Buzek, and the head of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy.
Brussels
brushed off criticism that political delegates should not be attending a
religious service, saying they were there to pay homage to Karol
Wojtyla's momentous role in European history.
Some quibbled over
the front-row presence of ItalyÕs Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi,
currently embroiled in a sex scandal which prompted the Church this year
to call on Italy's leaders to renounce playboy lives and act
responsibly.
Socialist critics in France also condemned Prime
Minster Francois Fillon's attendance — along with the foreign and
interior ministers — as "shocking," in light of their role as
representives of "a lay Republic."
John Paul II's efforts to open
dialogue with Israel was acknowledged by the presence of Yossi Peled, an
Israeli government minister.
The late pope visited in 2005 in a
historic move to heal wounds and Israel and the Holy See established
diplomatic relations during his reign.
There were also
representatives of several European states with secretive banking
systems — a bit like the Vatican itself. The royal families of
Liechtenstein and Luxembourg were represented, as was Andorra.
Latin
American officials included the presidents of Mexico and Honduras,
while Brazil sent its vice-president and Argentina the president of the
senate.
Four heads of state were in attendance from the Balkans —
from Albania, Bosnia, Macedonia, Montenegro — and Croatia sent its head
of government. From Africa, the presidents of Cameroon, Togo and Congo
turned up.
In a marked change from the previous US administration,
Barack Obama only sent his ambassador to the Holy See. John Paul II's
funeral had been attended by George W. Bush in person, as well as his
predecessor, Bill Clinton.
Representatives from five royal
families attended including King Albert II of Belgium and Prince Felipe
of Asturias, the heir to the Spanish throne.
Apart from the
Palestine Liberation Organisation and Lebanon — which was represented by
President Michel Sleiman's wife — delegates from Arab nations were not
present.