The former President of the Republic Giorgio Napolitano is dead last night at the age of 98, after a long hospital stay at the Salvator Mundi Clinic at the Gianicolo in Rome. With an agreement signed that night by Undersecretary Alfredo Mantovano, the government arranged the state funeral. Today we found out that they will take place Tuesday, 26th: A secular ceremony takes place in the churchyard Piazza Montecitorio and it will be one day National mourning.
There Burial chamber opens in the Senate tomorrow at 10 in the presence of the President of the Republic and the President of the Senate. Access is open to everyone from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m., and on Monday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The national and European flags have been displayed since yesterday evening Half mast at all public buildings and at the headquarters of diplomatic and consular missions abroad as well as at all production sites and headquarters Rai.
For this reason, Brothers of Italy launched its initiative “Italy Win. A Year of Results” was postponed by a week, which included a speech by the President of the Council of Ministers on Sunday morning. Giorgia Meloni, at the Auditorium della Conciliazione in Rome. Likewise those Democratic Party has postponed the initiatives planned in recent days.
The Quirinaleyesterday, upon receiving the news, he published a note in which the President of the Republic, says Sergio Mattarella: “A large part of the history of the second half of the 20th century is reflected in the life of Giorgio Napolitano, with its dramas, its complexities, its goals, its hopes.” His death makes me deeply sad, and while I pay tribute to his memory “As the Republic expresses its greatest gratitude, I extend the condolences of the entire nation to his family.”
A note also came from Palazzo Chigi: “The President of the Council of Ministers, Giorgia Meloniexpresses its condolences on behalf of the Italian Government on the death of the President Emeritus of the Republic, Giorgio Napolitano. Our thoughts and deepest condolences go out to the family.”
Hate on social media
On Twitter/X or on the meta platforms, in addition to the many messages of closeness, there is no shortage of posts that express strong criticism, if not outright hatred, of the president emeritus Atlanticism or for her Decisions made in the two mandates In the Quirinale there are even those who make comparisons with the head of the Cosa Nostra Matteo Messina moneyexplained yesterday in irreversible coma. The deputy group leader of the Brothers of Italy in the Chamber reacts: Alfredo Antoniozzi: “I received screenshots of hundreds of social media posts from people of all political backgrounds drawing a parallel between the death of President Giorgio Napolitano and the impending death of Matteo Messina Denaro, almost as if they were the same thing. We must denounce this.” Haters and do not accept in any way that the freedom of expression and communication afforded by social media is becoming a mockery. Giorgio Napolitano belongs to the history of Italy for reasons completely opposite to those of Messina Denaro. It is unacceptable to think about being able to institutionally insult a great personality to this point. That had already happened with President Berlusconi a few months ago. The inability to separate political criticism from insult even in the face of death is just brutal rudeness“.
The political and international reactions
There are countless condolences from political world on the death of Giorgio Napolitano, President Emeritus of the Republic.
“With the death of President Emeritus Giorgio Napolitano, Italy has lost an extraordinary witness to our republican history. For him, politics, culture and institutions were life, passion, but also rationality and coherence – says the President of Senate Ignazio La Russa -. When I was Defense Minister, he developed a close working relationship with me as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and I never concealed my personal sympathies for him, even though we had very distant political positions. To the President NeapolitanI have always recognized his meticulous attention to our Armed Forces, their honor, their qualities and their need to be considered as one of the fundamental moments of the national community. I also remember that his word was crucial for the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy to take place with the importance it deserved.”
Condolences are also expressed Pope Francis, in a telegram to Napolitano’s wife Clio. “The death of her husband, Senator Giorgio Napolitano, aroused in me emotions and at the same time gratitude for this statesman who, in the exercise of his high institutional duties, demonstrated great intellectual qualities and a sincere passion for the political life of Italy. as well as a great interest in the fate of nations – writes the Pope –. I gratefully remember the personal meetings I had with him, in which I appreciated his humanity and foresight, with which he correctly made important decisions, especially in delicate moments for the life of the country, with the constant intention, unity and harmony to promote in a spirit of solidarity, animated by the search for the common good. I want to express my closeness to you, your children and your family and make sure that I think of you in prayer. “When I express my condolences, I invoke the consolation of my heart for you and your loved ones,” concludes the Holy Father.
“I mourn the death of the former President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano. An imposing Italian statesman with a strong European heart. He was an anchor of stability for his country in difficult times and deeply convinced that a united Europe in the future was in the interests of its citizens.” The President of the European Commission writes it on X, Ursula von der Leyen.
“With Giorgio Napolitano an Italian and European statesman is leaving. A man of the left in the service of the institutions of the republic. It was a privilege to experience his political passion and intellectual rigor up close. Rest in peace, president“We will miss you.” The EU Economic Commissioner wrote this in a tweet Paolo Gentiloni.
“I join the Italian people and the world in mourning the loss of former President Giorgio Napolitano, a statesman who dedicated his life to democracy, human rights and European unity,” said the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on X
“An outstanding figure in Italian politics, a convinced European, former President Giorgio Napolitano has left us. “I express my deepest condolences to the Italian people.” He wrote it on Twitter French President Emmanuel Macron.
The President of the Russian Federation Wladimir Putin wrote to Mattarella: “Dear Mr. Mattarella, please accept my deepest condolences on the death of the former President of the Italian Republic Giorgio Napolitano.”