The Italian government has decided to hold a state funeral ceremony for former President of the Republic Giorgio Napolitano; national mourning will be declared on this day, Secretary of the Council of Ministers Alfredo Mantovano said.
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Former Italian President and senator for life Giorgio Napolitano died in Rome on Friday at the age of 99.
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He headed the Italian state from May 2006 to January 2015 and became the first president of the republic in history to be re-elected for a second term.
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Condolences over the death of Napolitano were expressed by Italian President Sergio Mattarella, Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni, and representatives of the country’s leading political forces. Pope Francis expressed grief over the death of the ex-president.
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“Due to the death of the former President of the Republic, Senator for Life Giorgio Napolitano, it is ordered that national and European flags be flown at half-staff on public buildings throughout the national territory and in Italian diplomatic and consular missions abroad until the day of the state funeral. National mourning will be declared on the day of the state funeral,” – the order signed by Mantovano says.
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Earlier, the President of the Senate of the Republic, Ignazio La Russa, announced that a civil funeral service would take place in the building of the upper house of the national parliament in Rome. The funeral ceremony is expected to take place on Sunday.
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The last time a state funeral ceremony was held in Italy was in June, when Silvio Berlusconi, who headed the national government four times, died at the age of 87.
