Agency Report –
The premier of the German state of Bavaria Markus Söder has been criticized for taking a smiling selfie before the funeral service for Pope Francis at the Vatican on Saturday.
“Just landed in Rome: Now we’re in a convoy with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on our way to the Vatican for the funeral service for the late Pope Francis,” Markus Söder posted on the X platform.
There was a swift social media reaction to the photo.
“Funeral travel selfies are rather undignified. The Pope’s funeral is not Oktoberfest,” wrote German politician Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann on X, referring to Söder’s well-known liking for the German beer festival.
“We should be glad that Söder isn’t holding a kebab in his hand,” added Strack-Zimmermann, from the Free Democratic Party (FDP).
Numerous other social media users also condemned the photo as tactless.
Shortly after arriving in the Italian capital, Söder posted several photos of the funeral service.
“Very moving moments in Rome shortly before the start of the requiem. We will miss Pope #Francis very much,” the Bavarian premier wrote on his social media channels, along with a photo of himself in St Peter’s Square.
“It is moving to see how many people are saying goodbye to him right here in St Peter’s Square in the Vatican and at home in front of their televisions around the world.”
In addition to Söder and Steinmeier, the German delegation in Rome included outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
His incoming successor as chancellor, Friedrich Merz, was not present.
