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Polish, foreign leaders attend Kaczynski funeral
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Polish, foreign leaders attend Kaczynski funeral
Gabriela Baczynska and Wojciech Zurawski
KRAKOW, Poland
Sun Apr 18, 2010 9:36am EDT
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KRAKOW, Poland (Reuters) - Polish and foreign leaders attended a funeral mass on Sunday for President Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria, but a volcanic ash cloud over Europe prevented some overseas guests from joining them.
World | Russia
U.S. President Barack Obama was among those forced by the ash cloud to abandon plans to attend the funeral in Krakow for the Kaczynskis, killed on April 10 with 94 other, mostly senior, political and military officials in a plane crash in Russia.
However, Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev managed to fly to the city, reinforcing a strong message of Russian solidarity since the crash that has raised Polish hopes for an improvement in long-strained ties with their communist-era overlord.
Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz praised Russia during the funeral mass, which was held in St Mary's Basilica, a mediaeval church famed for housing Europe's largest carved Gothic altar.
"The tragedy of eight days ago and the sympathy and help extended by the Russians in these days give us hope for better relations between our two great nations. I direct those words to Mr President Medvedev," Dziwisz said.
Nearby, the coffins of Poland's first couple were both draped with the red and white national flag.
Kaczynski's daughter Marta and his twin brother Jaroslaw, who heads Poland's main opposition party, led the mourners. They had insisted the funeral go ahead on Sunday, despite the ash cloud that has closed Polish and other European airports.
Other mourners included Poland's interim President Bronislaw Komorowski, Prime Minister Donald Tusk and his government and the presidents of Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Georgia.
UNPRECEDENTED MOURNING
Outside, an estimated 50,000 mourners watched the mass on large screens. The Kaczynskis' coffins were later to be taken to Wawel cathedral where they would be laid to rest in a crypt normally reserved for Polish kings, national heroes and poets.
The funeral crowns a week of unprecedented national mourning for the Kaczynskis and the 94 others who perished in the crash.
In Warsaw, Poles had queued through Saturday night to view the coffins while they remained on public display. Early on Sunday, the coffins were flown by military plane to Krakow at a low altitude because of the volcanic ash cloud.
Obama said he regretted being unable to attend the funeral.
"President Kaczynski was a patriot and close friend and ally of the United States, as were those who died alongside him, and the American people will never forget the lives they led," Obama said in a statement.
Poland, part of the Soviet bloc during the Cold War, is now a member of NATO and a close U.S. ally.
Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, Poland's biggest trade partner, also expressed regret at having to scrap her trip. But Germany's president and foreign minister joined the funeral after flying to Krakow from Berlin by helicopter.
Medvedev's presence was ironic, given that Kaczynski was a stern critic of what he called Russia's "imperialism" toward ex-Soviet republics such as Georgia and Ukraine. During his five years as president, Kaczynski never visited Moscow.
Kaczynski's plane crashed while heading to Katyn forest in western Russia to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the massacre of 22,000 Polish officers and intellectuals by the Soviet secret police.
Wawel cathedral was the coronation site of virtually all of Poland's monarchs and the adjacent castle was the center of government for five centuries until the end of the 16th century.
Some Poles have staged protest rallies and joined petitions on social media site Facebook against the decision to bury Kaczynski in such a hallowed spot.
Kaczynski was a polarizing figure whose support levels had fallen to about 20 percent before his death. He had been expected to lose a presidential election due in the autumn and now likely to be held on June 20.
The protests were the first cracks in an otherwise remarkable display of national unity since the crash.
(Writing by Gareth Jones; editing by Michael Roddy)
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Comments
See All Comments (3) | Post Comment
Apr 18, 2010 5:35am EDT
Lech Kaczynski was a unique, decisive figure on the Polish political scene. Even in death, the Catholic Church and her conservative allies have managed to create controversy by attempting to elevate the former president to martyr status by having him buried in Wawel in a pathetic attempt to politicize the funeral. Obama et al not attending may be grabbing the headlines but the decision to manipulate public sympathy is the main story.
http://theendisalwaysnear.blogspot.com/
nahummer
Report As Abusive
Apr 18, 2010 9:39am EDT
Are you kidding? The EU absolutely LOVES Poland because they are desperate to show Greece an example of a nation who has its act together.
Storyburncom_is
Report As Abusive
Apr 18, 2010 9:56am EDT
nahummer, that is just your opinion, and it does not reflect what the Polish nation think. The burial of Pres. Kaczynski in Wawel cathedral pays tribute not only to the late president, but also to the 22 thousand that died in the 1940 Katyn massacre, which you fail to understand.
I say this, as a Pole: to me, your comment is (let me use your own words, you may understand it better then) a pathetic attempt to politicize the funeral.
Billyompir
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