After the death of Pope John Paul II on 2 April 2005, in Vatican City, and before official invitations were sent by the College of Cardinals, almost 200 countries expressed interest in sending representatives to his funeral. The funeral took place on 8 April 2005, and was one of the largest gatherings of statesmen and world leaders in history, with 10 sovereigns, 80 past and present elected heads of state, 75 heads of governments and numerous dignitaries from 18 multilateral organizations, 15 religions and 112 countries in attendance. Some of the dignitaries later attended the installation of Pope Benedict XVI on 24 April 2005.
At the funeral, the dignitaries were seated alphabetically according to the French spelling of their country's name and arranged according to diplomatic protocol. In order to accommodate all interested parties wishing to receive a seat during the Requiem Mass, the Holy See limited the number of members in each official diplomatic delegation to five people, except for the delegations from Italy and Poland, the latter of which, being John Paul II's homeland, was allowed ten people. The limit did not exclude other people of any nationality from attaining individual invitations, unrelated to their country's delegation: for example, the attendance of Fernando Henrique Cardoso, former president of Brazil, had no connection with the Brazilian delegation. In addition to a country's official delegation, any number of government officials were permitted to attend as pilgrim travellers, remaining outside the basilica during the Requiem Mass with the general public. For example, the United States delegation included the president and first lady, two former presidents, and the secretary of state, and they all had seats in the basilica during the Requiem Mass. Dozens of members of Congress attended the Requiem Mass, congregating among the general public outside the basilica.
Members of official delegations
A Country FlagOfficial delegationTitlesAfghanistanHamid KarzaiAbdullah AbdullahZalmai RassoulMostapha ZaherMohammad Nadir HatamiPresident of the RepublicMinister of Foreign Affairs National Security AdvisorAmbassadorFirst SecretaryAlbaniaAlfred Moisiu Fatos Nano Sali Berisha Rexhep Meidani Mirella MoisiuPresident of the Republic Prime Minister Former President of the Republic Former President of the Republic Daughter of the President of the RepublicAlgeriaAbdelaziz Bouteflika Bouabdalla Ghoulamallah Mokhtar ReguiegPresident of the Republic Minister of Religious Affairs AmbassadorAndorraJoan Enric Vives Sicília Jacques Chirac Marc Forné Molné Maria Lluisa Gispert de Forné Juli Minoves-Triquell Josep Angel Mortès PonsCo-Prince Co-Prince Head of Government Consort of the Head of Government Minister of Foreign Affairs Vice-President of ParliamentAngolaJosé Eduardo dos Santos Ana Paula dos Santos João Bernardo de Miranda Boaventura da Silva Cardoso José FilipePresident of the Republic First Lady Minister of Foreign Affairs Minister of Culture Chief of Protocol of the PresidencyAntigua and BarbudaCarl RobertsAmbassadorArgentinaDaniel Scioli Rafael Bielsa Guillermo Rodolfo OliveriVice-President of the Republic Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Religious Affairs Secretary of State for Religious AffairsArmeniaAndranik Markaryan Edward Nalbandian Rouben Shugarian Armen Bayburtian Gevorg HakobianPrime Minister Ambassador to the Holy See Ambassador Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs First Assistant to the Prime MinisterAustraliaMichael Jeffery Marlena Jeffery Maria Cicutto Robert Hunter Ted KnezGovernor-General of Australia Wife of the Governor-General Embassy CounsellorAustriaHeinz Fischer Margit Fischer Wolfgang Schüssel Hubert Gorbach Andreas Khol Federal President First Lady Federal Chancellor Vice-Chancellor President of the Chamber of DeputiesAzerbaijanIlham AliyevPresident of the Republic
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Country FlagOfficial delegationTitleBangladeshChowdhury Kamal Ibne YusufFood and Disaster Management MinisterBelarusGennady NovitskyVladimir KorolevAleksei SkripkoPresident of the Council of the Republic of BelarusAmbassador to the VaticanAmbassadorBelgiumKing Albert IIQueen PaolaGuy VerhofstadtDidier ReyndersHerman De CrooKing of the BelgiansQueen Consort Prime Minister of BelgiumDeputy Prime Minister President of the Lower HouseBoliviaCarlos MesaElvira Salinas de Mesa José Ignacio Siles President of the RepublicFirst LadyAmbassadorBosnia and HerzegovinaBorislav ParavacŠefik DžaferovićBariša ČolakChairman of the PresidencyPresident of ParliamentDeputy Prime MinisterBrazilLuiz Inácio Lula da Silva Fernando Henrique Cardoso Itamar Franco José Sarney Marisa Letícia da SilvaRenan CalheirosSeverino CavalcantiNelson JobimPresident of the RepublicFormer PresidentFormer PresidentFormer PresidentFirst LadyPresident of the SenatePresident of the Chamber of DeputiesPresident of the Supreme Federal CourtBulgariaGeorgi ParvanovPresident of the Republic
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Country FlagOfficial delegationTitleCanadaPaul MartinSheila MartinStephen HarperPhil FontainePrime Minister of CanadaWife of the Prime MinisterLeader of Her Majesty's Loyal OppositionNational Chief of the Assembly of First NationsChileIgnacio WalkerSergio RomeroJosé Antonio Viera GalloGabriel AscencioPablo LongueiraMinister of Foreign AffairsPresident of the SenateSocialist senatorPresident of the Chamber of DeputiesUDI deputyChina Chen Shui-bianChen Tang-sanPresidentMinister of Foreign AffairsColombiaFrancisco SantosMaría Victoria GarcíaVice President of ColombiaSecond Lady of ColombiaDemocratic Republic of the CongoJoseph KabilaJean-Pierre BembaPresident of the RepublicVice-President of the RepublicCosta RicaAbel PachecoRoberto Tovar FajaPresident of the RepublicMinister of Foreign AffairsCroatiaStipe MesićIvo SanaderPresident of the RepublicPrime MinisterCubaRicardo AlarcónCaridad DiegoRaúl Roa KouríPresident of the National AssemblyChief of Religious Affairs of the Communist Party of CubaAmbassador to the Holy SeeCyprusTassos PapadopoulosGeorge PoulidesTasos TzionisPresident of the RepublicAmbassador to the Holy SeeDirector of the Diplomatic Office of the PresidentCzech RepublicVáclav KlausCyril SvobodaPresident of the RepublicMinister of Foreign Affairs
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Country FlagOfficial delegationTitleDenmarkQueen Margrethe IIPrince HenrikAnders Fogh RasmussenQueen of DenmarkPrince ConsortPrime Minister of DenmarkDominican RepublicMargarita Cedeño de FernándezAlejandrina GermánCarlos Rafael Marión-LandaisFirst LadySecretary of EducationAmbassador to the Holy See
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Country FlagOfficial delegationTitleEcuadorLucio GutiérrezXimena BohórquezPatricio ZuquilandaPresident of the RepublicFirst LadyMinister of Foreign AffairsEgyptFarouk HosniMinister of CultureEl SalvadorFrancisco LaínezAna Ligia Mixco Sol de SacaRené FigueroaRoberto SimánMaría Eugenia Brizuela de ÁvilaMinister of Foreign AffairsFirst LadyMinister of the Interiorformer Ambassador to the Holy Seeformer Minister of Foreign AffairsEquatorial GuineaTeodoro Obiang Nguema MbasogoPresident of the RepublicEstoniaArnold RüütelPresident of the Republic
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Country FlagOfficial delegationTitleFijiErmital L. BoladuaduaAmbassadorFinlandMatti VanhanenPrime Minister of FinlandFranceJacques ChiracBernadette ChiracPresident of the French RepublicWife of the President of the French Republic
G
Country FlagOfficial delegationTitleGermanyHorst KöhlerWolfgang ThierseGerhard SchröderJoschka FischerDieter AlthausPresidentPresident of the BundestagChancellorMinister of Foreign AffairsVice-President of the BundesratGhanaJohn KufuorPresident of the RepublicGreeceKarolos PapouliasPanagiotis SkandalakisKonstantinos GeorgiouPresident of the RepublicSecretary of State for Foreign AffairsGeneral Secretary of the PresidencyGuatemalaÓscar BergerWendy de BergerJorge Briz AbularachRigoberta MenchúPresident of the RepublicFirst LadyMinister of Foreign AffairsNobel Peace Prize Laureate 1992GuineaSidibé Fatoumata KabaMinister of Foreign Affairs
H
Country FlagOfficial delegationTitleHaitiGérard LatortuePrime MinisterHondurasRicardo MaduroPresident of the RepublicHungaryFerenc MádlDalma MádlFerenc GyurcsányViktor OrbánKatalin SziliPresident of the RepublicFirst LadyPrime MinisterFormer Prime MinisterPresident of Parliament
I
Country FlagOfficial delegationTitleIndiaBhairon Singh ShekhawatPaty Ripple KyndiahOscar FernandesVice President of IndiaMinister of Tribal Issues and Minister Development of the North-East RegionMinister of Parliamentary AffairsIndonesiaAlwi ShihabMaftuh BasyuniFreddy NumberiCoordinating Minister for People's WelfareMinister of Religious AffairsMinister of Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, former Ambassador to ItalyIranMohammad KhatamiPresident of IranIraqAyad AllawiPrime Minister of IraqIrelandMary McAleeseBertie AhernMary HarneyPresident of IrelandTaoiseach (Prime Minister)Tánaiste (Deputy-Prime Minister)IsraelMoshe KatsavSilvan ShalomPresident of IsraelDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign AffairsItalyCarlo Azeglio CiampiFranca CiampiSilvio BerlusconiGaetano GifuniAntonio Puri PuriniGianfranco MazzuoliMarcello PeraPier Ferdinando CasiniPiero Alberto CapotostiGianfranco FiniPresident of the Italian RepublicWife of the PresidentPrime Minister of ItalyCounsellor of State, General Secretary of the Presidency Diplomatic Counsellor to the PresidencyCounsellor Coordinator at the PresidencyPresident of the Senate President of the Chamber of DeputiesPresident of the Constitutional CourtMinister of Foreign Affairs
J
Country FlagOfficial delegationTitleJapanYoriko KawaguchiAdvisor to the Prime MinisterJordanKing Abdullah IIQueen RaniaKing of Jordan Queen of Jordan
K
Country FlagOfficial delegationTitleKenyaChirau Ali MwakwereMinister of foreign affairsKuwaitJaber Al Abdullah Al Jaber Al SabahMember of the royal family
L
Country FlagOfficial delegationTitleLatviaVaira Vīķe-FreibergaPresident of the RepublicLebanonÉmile LahoudOmar KaramiIssam FaresNabih BerriPresident of the RepublicPrime MinisterDeputy Prime MinisterSpeaker of ParliamentLesothoKing Letsie IIIMonyane MolelekiKing of LesothoMinister of Foreign AffairsLiechtensteinPrince Hans-Adam IIPrincess MarieThe Prince NikolausPrincess MargarethaSovereign Prince of LiechtensteinPrincess ConsortAmbassador to the Holy Seewife of the ambassador to the Holy SeeLithuaniaValdas AdamkusPresident of the RepublicLuxembourgGrand Duke HenriGrand Duchess Maria TeresaJean-Claude JunckerGrand Duke of LuxembourgGrand Duchess of Luxembourg Prime Minister of Luxembourg
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Country FlagOfficial delegationTitleMacedoniaBranko CrvenkovskiPresidentMadagascarMarc RavalomananaPresidentMalaysiaBernard Giluk Dompok Abdullah Md Zin
Lily ZachariaMinister in the Prime Minister's Department Minister in the Prime Minister's Department
Ambassador to ItalyMaltaEddie Fenech AdamiMary Fenech AdamiLawrence GonziKate GonziAlfred SantPresident of MaltaFirst Lady of MaltaPrime Minister of MaltaSpouse of the Prime MinisterLeader of the OppositionMauritiusPaul BérengerPrime MinisterMexicoVicente FoxMarta SahagúnLuis Ernesto DerbezPresident of MexicoFirst Lady of MexicoSecretary of Foreign AffairsMonaco Patrick LeclercqMinister of StateMoroccoPrince Moulay RachidMohamed BenaissaMohamed SbihiPrince and brother of King Mohammed VIMinister of Foreign AffairsAmbassador
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Country FlagOfficial delegationTitleNetherlandsJan Peter BalkenendePrime Minister of the NetherlandsNew ZealandDame Silvia CartwrightPeter CartwrightGovernor-General of New ZealandSpouse of the Governor GeneralNicaraguaEnrique BolañosNorman José Caldera CardenalArmando LunaJosé CuadraPresident of the RepublicMinister of Foreign AffairsAmbassador to the Holy SeeAmbassador to ItalyNigerMireille Fatouma AusseilAmbassadorNigeriaOlusegun ObasanjoPresidentNorwayQueen SonjaKjell Magne BondevikQueen ConsortPrime Minister of Norway
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