Ciao, Maestro due

On Saturday (9 Sept) Luiciano Pavarotti was laid to rest after a wake & funeral at the Modena Duomo, The Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption, (right). He was laid out before the altar in an open white casket lined in opera-house red velvet, wearing a white tie and tails and holding his signature white handkerchief and a rosary. Besides the casket was was a posy of pink roses from Alice, his youngest daughter, as well as a drawing for her father signed in shaky capital letters. It is estimated that about 100,000 people went past the casket to pay their respects.

While not a state funeral it had all the trappings of one with Prime Minister Romano Prodi & former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan in attendance. Others attending the funeral included Bono, Zucchero, film and opera director Franco Zeffirelli, & Andrea Boccelli. The main celebrant & homilist was Archbishop Benito Cocchi, head of the Modena-Nonantola Archdiocese.

Some criticism arose about the appropriateness of giving him a Catholic funeral as he was divorced & remarried. "Pavarotti's parish priest, Father Remo Sartori, said the twice-married singer had been reconciled with the Catholic faith of his childhood and had received the last rites before losing his battle against pancreatic cancer last Thursday, aged 71.", according to a report in The Sunday Herald.

Papa Benedetto (himself a great music lover) sent a telegram signed in the Pope's name by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, secretary of state, that was read at the beginning of the Mass. It said: "Apprised of the sad news of the passing of the tenor Luciano Pavarotti the Pontiff expresses sentiments of grief over the death of the great artist who, with his extraordinary interpretive talent, honored the divine gift of music.

In entrusting his soul to the mercy of God, the Holy Father asks, for his family and those who held him dear, the support of Christian hope which alone can relieve the sorrow for the grave loss and he gives to you and those participating in the funeral rites the comforting apostolic blessing."

Here is the British News coverage of the funeral:

I have to add a comment at the conclusion of this about the criticism of his having a Catholic funeral. Even before I read the news report, I suspected that he had been reconciled to the Church. & in doing so, to God. The Church exists to enable people to reconcile to God. The rules are there to show the consequences of sin & how it seperates you from God. The Church is always willing to welcome a person back to God in His Name if they are truly repentant & desire reconciliation with God. This is clearly what happenned in this case.

As for any criticism about it being a deathbed conversion, I say "SO WHAT?!" My answer to that is found in the Gospel of Luke (23:39-43), where the good thief repents from the Cross. It is never too late to repent as long as a person still is alive. & it not our place to judge the sincerity of the person's heart. We need to leave his soul to the Mercy of God.

(Added 11 Sept 2007 12:57 am Pavarotti returns to the Catholic faith before dying)