Should President Fernandez attend the funeral?

Dolores1

DR1
May 3, 2000
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There is an interesting discussion going on whether First Lady Margarita Cede?o, a well-respected lawyer, was a good choice to represent the Dominican Republic in Pope John Paul's funeral ceremony. Some suggest that if President Leonel Fernandez (with the First Lady, then) would not attend, then it would have been better to send the Vice President (and his wife) or the Minister of Foreign Relations. Apparently, the First Lady falls fourth in rank and will be seated accordingly, as Vatican protocol goes.

There is also the debate that the Dominican First Lady is divorced, so it is debatable whether she would be received by the new Pope. I remember the debates over whether President Fernandez, also divorced at the time, during his first trip to the Vatican would be received by Pope John Paul II. At the time he was, but in the Pope's library.

Press reports indicate that the only First Ladies that will be attending are those of Panama, Uruguay and the Dominican Republic.

President Fernandez recently cancelled an early April trip to Asia after there was much criticism to his frequent travels since taking office.

From information we have received, a suite has been reserved at a leading hotel in Rome just in case President Fernandez decides to make the trip at the last minute.

As per a list published today in Hoy newspaper, the list of heads of state that have confirmed their attendance is impressive ...
Americas: George Bush (USA), Prime Minister Paul Martin (Canada), Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (Brazil), Abel Pacheco (Costa Rica), Oscar Berger (Guatemala), Ricardo Maduro (Honduras), Vicente Fox (Mexico), Enrique Bola?os (Nicaragua). Argentina and Colombia are sending Vice Presidents. El Salvador, Chile and Venezuela are sending their foreign ministers.

Europe: Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt and King Alberto and Queen Paola (Belgium), President Georgi Parvanov (Bulgaria), President Jacques Chirac (France), Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Apatero, King Juan Carlos and Queen Sophia (Spain), Prime Minister Tony Blair and Prince Charles (UK), President Ferenc Madl (Hungary), President Mary McAleese and Prime Minister Bertie Ahert (Ireland), Prime Minister Jean Claude Juncker (Luxembourg), President Jorge Sampaio (Portugal), Prime Minister Mijail Fradkov (Rusia), President Samuel Schmid (Switzerland), and so on.
 
Jun 5, 2004
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I think he does make alot of trips but this one is a special reason. A pope and a great one such as Pope John is not burried on a daily basis.
 

samiam

Bronze
Mar 5, 2003
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I think the both the church and the Dominican government where too cold and indifferent towards the pope's death.
On the eve of the Pope's death, all churches where closed. If you wanted to go to a church to pray you had nowhere to go, except home. The cardinal was unmoved, no public address - It is said that he and the pope didnt get along too well because the pope thought he acted more like a politician than the representative of the church (and hence the poor and neglected).

On the other side, the head of the government was also unmoved and didnt go to the mass organized later by the church. He just signed a condolence book and made a little mass in the convenience of the presidential palace. Damned atheists!!

I think the president should have gone out of respect to a global leader who chose this country to be the first place he traveled to and the second most visited in Latin America. Instead he sends his wife, who, I am more convinced than ever, probably wears the pants in the house (and the palace)

Despite your beliefs or creed, the pope was a great leader of mankind who honored us three times with his visit. Ashamed to say, Dominican authorities responded poorly, as if we where a nation of poor, uneducated ingrates.......hey wait a minute! :ermm:
 

-Greg-

New member
Apr 7, 2005
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I believe that the government should keep no affiliations with any religion, but Pope John Paul II was a World leader, and a very good one (both Pope and leader) too. So yeah, I believe he should've attended.