European officials embroiled in scandal over selfie before Pope's funeral
Photo: European officials caught in scandal after Pope Francis' funeral (Getty Images)
Officials from Germany and Poland have sparked a scandal by taking selfies ahead of Pope Francis' funeral on April 26, according to TVN24 and Tagesspiegel.
The Prime Minister of Germany's Bavaria, Markus Söder, posted a selfie taken before the funeral. In the photo, he is smiling, and he has been accused of showing disrespect for the tragic event.
The head of the Bundestag Defense Committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, stated that "selfies from a funeral carry something truly inappropriate."
"The Pope's funeral is not Oktoberfest. One can be glad that Söder is at least not holding a kebab," she remarked.
Photo: Söder before the Pope's funeral (x.com/Markus Söder)
Polish politicians also found themselves in a scandal over a selfie at the Vatican. On social media, the Vatican press service published a photo showing the arrival of the Polish delegation at the funeral — President Andrzej Duda with the First Lady, Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak, and Speaker of the Polish Sejm, Shimon Hołownia. At that moment, Hołownia was taking a photo.
In Poland, this sparked a wave of criticism, with many politicians commenting that Hołownia "behaved like a high school student on a field trip."
Hołownia stated that he was not taking a selfie but was photographing the crowd in St. Peter's Square. However, other Polish politicians shared the actual selfie taken at the funeral, such as MPs Michał Wojcik and Roman Gertych.
Photo: Wojcik during the Pope's funeral (x.com/MichałWójcik)
Photo: Wojcik during the Pope's funeral (x.com/MichałWójcik)
Pope Francis' funeral
It was reported this week that Pope Francis suddenly passed away on April 21. The cause of his death was a stroke. Earlier this year, he had been treated for severe pneumonia.
The pontiff’s funeral took place on Saturday, April 26. Pope Francis was laid to rest in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. The farewell ceremony was attended by around 400,000 people, including 50 world leaders, such as President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President of the United States Donald Trump.
Details of the farewell ceremony for the Pope can be found in the RBC-Ukraine article.
