The Pope's funeral triggered a series of political mishaps. As the results of regional elections in Italy last week demonstrate the government's waning popularity, the process of electing a new Pope is well underway. Samia Nkrumah writes from Rome The Italian media has heralded the funeral of Pope John Paul II who died on 2 April as the most important in the century. It was certainly the biggest in recent history considering the number of participants, both official and popular who attended the funeral on 8 April. About 250 countries were represented with officials at the funeral mass in St Peters basilica. Scores of heads of state attended the three-hour service that was transmitted by around 90 television channels worldwide. In a global gathering of this nature and on this scale, it would have been unusual to avoid diplomatic surprises. This turned out to be the funeral of unexpected handshakes. Dignitaries were seated in rows in St Peter's square according to seating arrangements made by the Vatican. As part of any Catholic Church's mass, people shake hands with those seated close to them, while saying "Peace be with you". This is what prompted the handshake between the Prince of Wales Charles, whose government is a vocal critic of the Zimbabwean regime and Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. The latter was able to cross Italian territory -- despite an EU ban -- under an agreement between Italy and the Vatican. Even more striking was the handshake between Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and Israeli Prime Minister Moshe Katzav, which emerged amid conflicting reports about who had extended his hand first. In the Internet site of Israeli daily Maariv, Katzav is reported to have added that the two leaders exchanged smiles. The official Syrian Arab News agency described the incident as only a "formality". While both sides agreed it was a "political formality", hopefuls continue to speculate on the significance of diplomatic indicators to future developments. More controversial is the reported handshake between Iranian President Khatami and the Israeli president. Again, the incident was reported in the Israeli media and repeated in the Italian papers, but more than one commentator pointed out that no one has actually seen the handshakes on film. The online version of Israeli daily Haaretz said the two leaders spoke for an hour. Subsequent denial by Iranian reports has compounded the mystery. Reports on the controversial handshakes have even drawn attention away from the unprecedented presence of three United States presidents, current president George W Bush, Bush Senior, and Bill Clinton. The popular funeral was a success by many accounts, despite the strain it put on Rome's infrastructure. Giant video screens were placed in six major squares in the capital to transmit the funeral live. Makeshift hostels were constructed in these squares to allow pilgrims to spend the night. In the biggest gathering in Tor Vegata, on the outskirts of Rome, there were an estimated 30,000 people. In Rome's Circus Maximus, the oldest and biggest arena in ancient Rome, there were 20,000 people watching. And in the multi-ethnic centre of Rome one square saw 2,000 people converged in front of the huge screen. The municipality of Rome is reported to have spent between five and six million euros in organising the event, from cleaning to providing transport for pilgrims. A reported 800,000 bottles of water were distributed. One thousand trains were at their disposal. Around 8,000 volunteers were called in. The city is set to remain busy till the new Pope is elected. On 18 April, the 115 cardinals eligible to vote are due to begin their deliberations before the final selection, some of which have not yet arrived in Rome. Given the absence of two cardinals from the Philippines and Mexico due to illness, there are now 58 European cardinals eligible for voting. Out of the Europeans the biggest numbers are the Italians who are 20 in all. In numbers, the Europeans, therefore, surpass the non-European cardinals from Africa, Asia and North and Latin America who are 57. Marco Politi, Vatican expert and author of books on the subject argues that there are as many reasons for electing a European Pope as there are for electing one from developing countries. Politi, explaining in the Italian daily La Republica pointed out that on one hand there is a trend that calls for a new Pope from Asia where China and India, two great powers, have a huge non-Christian population. It is also in Asia that the biggest concentration of the Muslim population is found and this trend argues for an active dialogue with Islam. An Asian, such as cardinal Ivan Dias, archbishop of Mumbay, or an African with experience in inter-religious dialogue like Nigerian cardinal Francis Arinze, are frequently cited. On the other hand, Politi reasons that John Paul II would have approved of a European choice. In one of his religious documents on Europe, the late Pope had indicated that the general indifference towards institutionalised religion must be confronted first and foremost in Europe. It is in Europe that interest in the church has declined the most and therefore where the Catholic Church needs to direct its effort. While Christianity and Catholicism have grown in developing countries, religious cynicism has increased in Europe over the past few decades. Indeed, despite the church's appeal to the contrary, some European countries with a big Catholic population like France legally recognise equal rights for same sex couples. In Belgium, gay marriages have been permitted since 2003. Here in Italy there is no legal recognition for same sex couples and there is no debate on that score at the moment. However, there are rumblings in other directions. In mid-June, Italians will vote on whether to legalize assisted fertilisation and research on human embryos, something that the church opposes. But the tendency to opt for reform in recent history is high. In 1981, despite the church's objections, legal abortion was approved in a referendum in Italy.
