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France holds funeral for former first lady Bernadette Chirac in Paris
via Punch Nigeria1 min read
Bernadette Chirac, widow of former president Jacques Chirac, will be laid to rest in a funeral in Paris on Friday, June 12. She passed away on June 5 at the age of 93. The ceremony will take place at 2:30 pm 1230 GMT at the Sainte-Clotilde Basilica, a significant location for the Chirac family, as it is near where Bernadette and Jacques Chirac were married, and where their eldest daughter Laurence's funeral was held in 2016. The funeral is expected to be attended by prominent figures including current French first lady Brigitte Macron, former presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande, and Sarkozy's wife Carla Bruni. Defence Minister Catherine Vautrin will represent the French government. Part of the basilica, which has a capacity of 650, will be accessible to the public, with the mass broadcast to those outside. Bernadette Chirac had her own political career, serving as an elected councillor for Correze and a member of the municipal council of Sarran. Correze will honor her on Sunday, with councillors carrying her coffin into the Basilica. She will be buried in the family plot at Montparnasse Cemetery in Paris.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Punch Nigeria.
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