http://www.guardian.co.uk/monarchy/story/0,2763,1452386,00.html
Blair and Archbishop break tradition to attend Pope's funeral Stephen Bates in Rome and Steven Morris Tuesday April 5, 2005 The Guardian Charles puts Rome first and postpones wedding Blair and Archbishop break tradition to attend Pope's funeral Prince Charles headed off a budding royal controversy yesterday by agreeing to postpone his wedding to Camilla Parker Bowles in deference to the Vatican's plans to hold the funeral of Pope John Paul II in Rome on Friday. Even before the formal announcement by Clarence House, diplomatic sources had made it clear that the prime minister would be attending the funeral instead of the royal wedding. The decision by Downing Street means that for the first time a serving prime minister, as well as the Archbishop of Canterbury, will attend the funeral of a pontiff. Instead of celebrating his wedding, Prince Charles will fly to Rome to represent the Queen. The wedding will take place on Saturday morning. Downing Street had told the British embassy in Rome that the prime minister would give precedence to the funeral of the Pope. British officials spoke to the Vatican about the funeral arrangements - but did not feel the need to mention that there was a possible clash with the nuptials. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, who was due to bless the prince's wedding in a service at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle on Friday also made it clear he wished to go to Rome. The prince's acceptance of the inevitable came as the sheer scale of the Vatican obsequies became clear; more than 200 world leaders, including 100 heads of state, are expected to be present. The extraordinary nature of the event is manifested in the determination of Mr Blair and Dr Williams to be there: the archbishop will be the first primate of the Church of England ever to attend a papal funeral; the late Lord Callaghan did not attend the funerals of John Paul II's two immediate predecessors when he was prime minister. Prince Charles's press secretary, Paddy Harverson, said that Mr Blair's decision to go to Rome had no bearing on the postponement of the wedding. "That's absolutely not the case. The decision was made by the prince and Mrs Parker Bowles and by them alone," he said. "There was no communication between No 10 Downing Street before or after." Last night, the authorities of the Holy See in Rome were braced for hundreds of thousands to line up and file past the Pope's body over the next three days. St Peter's Basilica will remain open throughout most of the night to accommodate the crush. Up to 2 million people are expected to pour into the city between now and Friday to view the lying in state and the funeral, with the authorities laying on tented villages in the suburbs for accommodation. The corpse of Pope John Paul II, who died on Saturday evening at the age of 84 of septic shock and heart failure, was moved from the papal apartments for the last time to St Peter's Basilica yesterday for the lying in state. A meeting of 65 cardinals at the Vatican also established the form of the ceremony and that the pontiff would be buried with his predecessors in the vaults of the Vatican, rather than in his native country, Poland. The prince's plans were finally set aside after the prospect dawned of him sipping champagne at Windsor while huge parts of the rest of the world - including much of the Commonwealth - were focused on Rome. Britain's tabloids, still smarting from last week's bruising, if trivial, encounter with Prince Charles during a photocall at the start of his skiing holiday in Klosters, Switzerland were already circling yesterday. Assorted MPs were also calling on the royals to acknowledge proprieties. A statement from Clarence House said that the prince would attend the funeral instead. "As a mark of respect, His Royal Highness and Mrs Parker Bowles have decided to postpone their wedding until Saturday," it added. Palace sources said the prince had made the decision immediately after his early return from Klosters yesterday, after a brief consultation with Mrs Parker Bowles. The wedding could neither be brought forward, nor postponed beyond the weekend because Windsor Guildhall, where the civil ceremony will take place, is licensed only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. It is historically remarkable, however, that the royal family should defer to the Vatican in changing its plans, given the long and tense history between the two institutions. A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said that the Pope's funeral must take priority. The prince was said to have been very keen to be sensitive. Diplomatic sources made clear that although the British Embassy to the Vatican had been in touch with officials about high level attendances at the funeral, they had not thought to mention the wedding. It is inconceivable that the cardinals would have altered their plans even had they been aware of it: Vatican rules state that the Pope must be buried within a week of death. Rumours were circulating Westminster yesterday that Downing Street had had to put pressure on the prince to postpone the wedding. But Mr Blair's official spokesman said: "I think Clarence House was very well aware of the significance of the Pope's funeral... The decision was for them and them alone to reach. But the prime minister is now very glad he is able to go to both events." The prince and Mrs Parker Bowles attended a mass for the Pope at Westminster Cathedral, together with Mr Blair and Catholic members of his cabinet including John Reid, the health secretary, Ruth Kelly, the education secretary, and other political leaders. They heard Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor add his name to the growing number of senior figures in the church calling for John Paul II to become only the fourth pontiff in history, and the first in modern times, to be awarded the soubriquet of "the Great", a preliminary to canonisation. Describing an "epic" papacy, the cardinal added: "If one man's dying can evoke such an outpouring of love and gratitude, it is true we are all in God's hands. "That is why, dear friends, he has been described as one of history's greatest Christians and why he shall surely be called Pope John Paul the Great." -- Cheers, Gabe Menezes. London, England
