The pope and a number of world leaders paid tribute to former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who died on Monday, noting his business achievements and his impact on political life in the country and Europe, but in Italy they also remembered problems with his leadership.
According to Italian writer and columnist Beppe Severnini, Berlusconi gave people the freedom to misbehave at a time when they really needed a firm hand.
“He convinced the Italians that whatever they were doing, they were right,” he told the BBC.
“We needed a leader, not someone who just said, ‘You’re doing well, don’t worry, don’t pay taxes, who cares,'” he commented.
“Is it true? I thought he was immortal,” reacted Daniela Salvati, a resident of Rome. “I have different beliefs, but he is a historical figure for everything he has done over the years. Outside of politics, he was a great businessman,” she added.
According to Laura Senserini, Berlusconi was a negative part of Italy’s political life, and surely his death will destabilize his Forza Italia party. Christian Valastro believes that the former Italian prime minister has become a completely marginal figure in politics and society, but is still part of the country’s history. “He was a special person, I guess even funny, because he represented a country, but he had his own way of being ironic. I’m sorry,” commented Chiara Motta, however, quoted by Reuters.
Political leaders, in turn, traditionally deliver posthumous eulogies.
Silvio Berlusconi was an energetic protagonist of political life, Pope Francis said of the deceased, ANSA reported. The Holy Father sent a telegram of condolence to Berlusconi’s family, in which he expressed “heartfelt sympathy for the sadness of the loss of a protagonist of Italian political life who fulfilled his public responsibilities with a vigorous temperament,” the Vatican said.
The telegram emphasized that “His Holiness prays to God for eternal peace for him and comfort for the hearts of those who mourn his passing. I join the sympathies with a fervent prayer of remembrance.”
“For me, Silvio was a dear person, a true friend,” said a condolence telegram addressed by Putin to Italian President Sergio Mattarelle. He will attend the funeral in Milan on Wednesday.
The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Mezzola, said on the occasion of the death of Silvio Berlusconi that he left his mark in every way, as a father, entrepreneur, MEP, prime minister and senator, and that he will not be forgotten, Reuters reported.
There was also a reaction from the European Commissioner for Economic Affairs and former Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni. “With the passing of Berlusconi, a leader who has left a deep mark on Italy in recent decades is leaving. Today is a moment of condolence and sympathy with his family and the Forza Italia community,” he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also expressed his sadness at the death of Berlusconi, who noted that the former prime minister of Italy was his true friend and dear person, the world agencies reported.
“I always sincerely admired his wisdom, his ability to make balanced and far-sighted decisions even in the most difficult situations. In the course of every meeting with him, I was literally infected by his incredible life energy, by his optimism and sense of humor”, Putin also says and defines Berlusconi’s death as “irreparable loss and great sorrow”.
The Russian president called Berlusconi a “true patriot of Italy” and noted that he had “an invaluable personal contribution to the development of the Russian-Italian partnership.”
“Russia will always remember Silvio Berlusconi as a supporter of the principle of strengthening friendly relations between our countries,” he stressed.
Berlusconi interrupts a handshake between Putin and Bush, sn. EPA/BGNES
Berlusconi said that he had a true and personal friendship with Putin. The two saw each other often during vacations they spent together. They were photographed smiling, sitting at a table next to each other, or else with huge Russian ears. Berlusconi called Putin “a simple and humble man who did a lot for his country”, and Putin defined Berulsconi as “one of the best politicians in Europe and one of the last Mohicans in politics”.
The two leaders also gave each other expensive gifts. Putin, for example, gave Berlusconi a four-poster bed on which the billionaire had intimate relations with escort girls in 2008, according to the woman’s claims in her book. Berlusconi gave Putin a quilt cover with their faces on it.
The former Italian prime minister has always supported Russia’s position in the conflict in Ukraine and criticized European sanctions against Moscow after the annexation of Crimea in 2014. According to him, this is a “return of the Cold War”.
In September 2015, Berlusconi even visited Crimea with Putin to drink wine and pay tribute to Italian soldiers killed in the 19th century during the Crimean War.
After the Russian offensive in Ukraine began in February last year, Berlusconi initially remained silent, but in April he publicly criticized his friend, saying he was “deeply disappointed and saddened by the behavior of Putin, who has a very big responsibility before the whole world”.
However, during the election campaign for the Italian elections in September, Berlusconi defended Putin’s actions, claiming that he wanted to overthrow the government in Kiev in order to put “good people” in its place, recalls France Press, quoted by BTA.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesman commented that Berlusconi had had a huge influence on Italian politics for several decades and said that the thoughts of the British were now with those of the Italians.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also commented on Berlusconi’s death, saying that a great fighter has gone.
In Spain, Alberto Núñez Feijo, the leader of the People’s Party and favorite for the Spanish parliamentary elections on July 23, also stressed that Berlusconi has marked the political history of Italy for several decades.
“Silvio Beche was a great friend of Israel and has always supported us,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
