Rome Tyrant Robert Mugabe is among VIPs who will attend the
beatification ceremony of Pope John Paul II today, it has emerge.
The Zimbabwean dictator has been slammed by the
international community for driving his country to poverty and is one of
Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi's only allies.
His surprise
inclusion on the list has raised eyebrows but it is not the first time
that Catholic Mugabe's presence at Vatican ceremony has provoked
controversy.
In 2005 during the funeral mass for the late Pope John Paul II,
Mugabe sat next to Prince Charles, who was left flustered as Mugabe
turned to him and shook hands with him - leaving him to say: 'He caught
me by surprise.'
Mugabe is actually the subject of a travel ban
but is able to visit Rome as the event on Sunday is being held at the
Vatican and he is an invited head of state.
The invitation is
in contrast to that of the Royal Wedding between Prince William and
Kate Middleton but Zimbabwe's ambassador in London has been invited to
that.
Security wasparticularly tight in Rome when
Mugabe, 87, arrived on an official flight at Rome's Fiumicino airport last night (Saturday) and a no fly zone has been imposed over St Peter's for the
ceremony.
Other VIPs include the president of Pope John
Paul's native Poland, Bronislaw Komrowski, who will be accompanied by
Senate Speaker, Grzegorz Schetyna, and House Speaker, Bogdan Borusewicz.
King Albert and Queen Paola of Belgium are among the European royalty
who will travel to the Vatican to attend the beatification, while the
Duke of Gloucester, Richard Windsor, will represent the British royal
family.
Irish president Mary McAleese is also expected to attend
and dozens of extra flights from Ireland have been laid on to bring the
expected flood of pilgrims to Rome.
Officials expect around
one million people to attend the ceremony on Sunday which will be led by
Pope Benedict XVI and will take place in St Peter's Square before a
vast TV audience.
The event will be spread over three days
with a candlelit vigil being held at the famous Circus Maximus in Rome
on Saturday and a thanksgiving Mass at the Vatican on Monday.
Police and Rome city council officials are taking extra measures to
restrict traffic and ensure there are no security threats and metal
detectors will be used to search the crowd before they are admitted.
Police
chief Roberto Manganelli said: 'For the beatification of Pope Wojtyla
there will be large crowds as well as heads of state and government
leaders which always increases the terrorism risks.
'Of course surveillance, intelligence, investigation and civil protection of personnel and sites will be adequate.
'We
should not expect to see a militarised city but a city with adequate
security measures that will reassure those who are taking part in the
event and those who are not. Rome is used to big events like this.'
Vatican
official said that more than 2,000 journalists from all over the world
had applied for accreditation to cover the event and a fleet of 23
ambulances and 300 volunteers will be on standby for medical
emergencies.
The first pilgrims have already begun arriving in
Rome and many are expected to take up prime positions in front of St
Peter's so they can get a good view of the event.
As
part of the ceremony a phial of Pope John Paul's blood will also be
displayed to the crowd and his coffin will also be brought from the
crypt beneath St Peter's so the faithful can pray before it.
Pope
John Paul II died at the age of 84 on April 2, 2005, after a long battle
against Parkinson's disease and more than three million people poured
into Rome to visit his body and attend his funeral mass.
Pilgrims
who gathered on the streets of Rome to remember the late pope
immediately began the now famous cry, 'Santo Subito!' (Saint now!).
Beatification
is the final step to sainthood.
The miracle which has paved the way for
Pope John Paul to be beatified or declared blessed, is that of French
nun, Sister Marie Simon Pierre who is also expected to attend the
ceremony.
An investigation by a panel of Vatican medical
experts concluded that she had made an unexplained recovery from
Parkinson's Disease - the same illness that affected Pope John Paul
after praying to him.
Extra flights have been laid on -
particularly from his native Poland - and pilgrims from all over the
world are due to arrive with many finding hotels scarce with those
available at a premium.
Last week police in Rome closed six hotels
and issued fine of more than £250,000 to others in a blitz against
tourist rip-offs ahead of the ceremony.
In March an American tour
guide was accused of promoting an internet sales scam in which
unsuspecting pilgrims were charged £150 for a false ticket granting them
access to the ceremony which is in fact free of charge.