Over 200 government leaders to attend papal funeral

Apr. 05 (CWNews.com) – Over 200 heads of state are expected to attend
the funeral for Pope John Paul II (bio – news) on Friday, April 8.

The influx of world leaders for the ceremony shows the enormous
regard for Pope John Paul II among international leaders. Not a
single president attended the funeral of his predecessor, John Paul
I. And only three government heads– the presidents of Malta and
Zambia, and the former president of Lebanon– were in attendance when
Pope Paul VI was buried in 1978.

American President George W. Bush was among the first world leaders
to announce his plans to attend the funeral. President Bush, who will
be accompanied by his wife Laura, will be the first US president ever
to attend a papal funeral.

The world’s religious leaders will also be heavily represented,
including Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople; Metropolitan
Kirill, the chief ecumenical officer of the Russian Orthodox Church;
Catholicos Karekin II of the Armenian Apostolic Church; Archbishop
Christodoulos of the Greek Orthodox Church; and Grand Rabbi Shlomo
Amar of Israel. Altogether there will be 17 delegations from other
Christian denominations, along with 2 Jewish groups.

Many of the foreign dignitaries who are expected in Rome had met with
Pontiff frequently, both at the Vatican and during papal voyages to
their own countries. Poland will send a particularly large delegation
to honor its native son, led by President Aleksander Kwasniewski,
former President Lech Walesa, and Prime Minister Marek Belka.

Among those international leaders who have already announced their
plans to attend the funeral are:

from Europe
Belgium’s King Albert II and Queen Paola
Spain’s King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia
Sweden’s King Carl Gustav XVI and Queen Silvia
Norway’s Queen Sonja
England’s Prince Charles
Albanian President Alfred Moisiu
Austrian President Heinz Fischer
Bulgarian president Gueorgi Parvano
Croatiann President Stipe Mesic
Estonian President Arnold Ruutel
French President Jacques Chirac
German President Horst Koehler
Greek President Carolos Papoulias
Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga
Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus
Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio
Serbian President Svetozar Marovic
Slovenian President Janez Drnovsek
Swiss President Samuel Schmit
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko

The European Union’s President Jose Manuel Durao
BarrosoRepresentatives are also expected from the governments of
Armenia, Finland, Denmark, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Romania,
Russia, and Turkey.

from Latin America
Bolivian President Carlos Mesa
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio da Silva
Costa Rican President Abel Pacheco
Ecuadorean President Lucio Gutierrez
Guatemalan President Oscar Berger
Honduran President Ricardo Maduro
Mexican President Vicente Fox
Nicaraguan President Enrique BolanosGovernment representatives will
also come from Argentina, Colombia, Cuba, El Salvador, Panama,
Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezeula.

from the Middle East
Israeli President Moshe Katzav
Syrian President Bachar al Assad
Lebanese President Emile Lahoud
Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmad Qoreifrom North America
US President George W. Bush
Canadian President Paul Martin
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan

from Asia and Oceania
Filipino President Gloria Arroyo
Australian Governor-General Michael JefferyRepresentatives will come
from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

from Africa
Congolese President Joseph Kabila
Ghanian President John Kufuor.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress