Authon (France) (AFP)
The funeral of former President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, who died Wednesday at the age of 94 from Covid-19, will bring together thirty people from the family and the inner circle on Saturday at 10:30 am in Authon (Loir-et-Cher), announced Friday his son Henri Giscard d'Estaing.
"The president wanted the funeral to take place in strict family privacy. It turns out that the circumstances are that there would have been no choice. We will therefore only have family members (... ) and the people who live around us in Authon ", explained Henri Giscard d'Estaing.
"It was his wish and his will. The President of the Republic, yesterday in his tribute, spoke of his modesty," continued Mr. Giscard d'Estaing, referring to the tribute speech held the day before by Emmanuel Macron.
The Head of State declared a day of national mourning on Wednesday, December 9.
"The French who wish will also be able to write a few words of tribute in our town halls and in Paris, at the Musée d'Orsay," he said in his address to the French on Thursday evening.
"My brother and sister have been in contact (with Mr. Macron, Editor's note) and of course we respect the decisions that have been taken", commented Henri Giscard d'Estaing, after a meeting at the town hall of Authon, accompanied by the Prefect of Loir-et-Cher, Yves Rousset.
The latter then gave details of the arrangements for the funeral.
"We have organized with the family that there are only thirty people, apart from the officiants, who will be present in the church. We will have to put in place a security device to respect the privacy of the ceremony" said the prefect.
"I want to tell the population that it is not worth it to come. Thereafter, access to the vault (...) will be free so they will be able to pay homage to him under other conditions. tomorrow is not the right day ", insisted Mr. Rousset.
According to the mayor of Authon, Marie-José Cintrat, the private land where the former president will be buried, located between the town hall and the cemetery, will be open to the public from Sunday morning, for a still undetermined period.
The village of 800 inhabitants, located 45 minutes by car northeast of Tours, continued to prepare Friday afternoon to host the ceremony.
On the square between the town hall, the school and the church, municipal employees removed dead leaves and placed barriers to keep any curious people away.
The first sprays of flowers, from among others the "Elders of the Elysee", arrived to be installed in the church.
Inside, sheets printed with the first names of the participants in the ceremony were already placed on the chairs and benches of the small religious building.
Saturday morning, the ceremony will be chaired by the Bishop of Blois, Jean-Pierre Batut.
According to the diocese of Blois, it will be co-chaired by Father Benoît Lhomme-Ducret, parish priest of Authon, as well as by two friends of the Giscard d'Estaing family, Monsignor Jean-Michel Di Falco and Father Stéphane Pelissier, from the Saint-Martin community.
© 2020 AFP