On Monday 27 February the last farewell to Maurizio Costanzo in the Church of the Artists, in Piazza del Popolo in Rome
It’s the day oflast farewell to Maurizio Costanzo, passed away on February 24 at the age of 84. Rai and Mediaset followed the funeral live: Rai1 with Today is another day by Serena Bortone, and Canale 5 with the special by Very true. Many personalities from the entertainment world flocked to the journalist’s funeral, but also many ordinary people. In the first row the wife Maria De Filippi with her son Gabriele. Next to them Pier Silvio Berlusconi and Raffaella Mennoia, author of Men and women and right arm of Maria. At the end of the funeral, the coffin moved from Piazza del Popolo towards the Parioli Theater, for many years the ‘home’ of the Maurizio Costanzo Show.
GERRY SCOTTI’S INTERVENTION – Gerry Scotti reads the artists’ prayer: “O Lord of beauty, Almighty Creator of all things, You who have shaped creatures by imprinting on them the admirable imprint of your glory, You who have illuminated the depths of every man with the light of your face, turn upon us gaze and have mercy on us, on our weakness, on our poverty, turn your eyes on our work, on our everyday struggles, look at us, we are the artists, your artists. We are painters, sculptors, musicians, actors, poets, dancers, we are your little ones who love to live on the wings of poetry to be able to be closer to you, and to help our brothers look higher up in your sky and deeper into their Heart. Forgive us if we are fragile and inconstant, but let us be men, give us your strength, the one we discover in your Word, the one we feel in your grace, the one we receive from your Eucharist, from that broken bread which is communion, fraternity and joy. We pray for us, for all artists, for the distracted world, let us help all men to discover something about you, through our art. Our life is a song of praise to your beauty and our works the bright rays that light up the streets of men. Give us your forgiveness and your benevolence, give us your Spirit of wisdom and beauty, inspire us with your love and your grace, and give us wonderful wings so that with art we rise up to you. We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord and brother.”
THE LETTER FROM THE CAMILLA DAUGHTER – Camilla CostanzoMaurizio’s daughter, at the end of the funeral rite reads a letter: “Papino, the wave of love that has submerged us is due to the good you have given to so many people. You didn’t have three children but many more. Many have considered you a father. You leave us an important legacy, your greatest teaching, humility. You never expected such a big show of affection. You would have told us as always ‘but do you realize? All this for me’. Now you are close to your parents, at the hands of Sordi and Gassmann, we imagine you while in Heaven you organize another of your talk shows”.
THE HOMILY – During the’homily the priest also recalls his own life experiences shared with the journalist: “I found a welcoming, loving person who immediately made a joke to me then in the end we chatted and when we talked it struck me because he told me about his childhood, his parish and because he said ‘How much work the parishes do in the area’. In the end he told me: ‘Father I know I’ll have to come to you’ and he made me understand that his wish for him one day would be that we could greet him here and pray for him. Since he was a child he wanted to be a journalist, he played with a bar of soap and with that he acted as a microphone because he wanted to communicate and interview […] He was a humble and loyal manrespected the opinions of others, inclined to understand the reasons of others […] In his work a bit cynical, but not in life. He was very greedy and I know he was occasionally peddled with some dark chocolate on the sly. He could even throw a rant but after 5 minutes it was as if nothing had happened, he didn’t hold a grudge. He loved his children. His relationship with Mary is one of tenderness, esteem, love, sharing, complicity. Maurizio testified to a strong sense of protection towards his loved ones and colleagues. He has helped many artists in their time of need. He wasn’t attached to money, he was able to use it to share it with others as well […] He didn’t profess to be a believer, he wasn’t in the strict sense, he was very respectful. In recent times he has increasingly approached Christian values, he has always wondered what was around the corner and therefore after death. He also questioned a lot with me, and I saw a man fascinated by the figure of Jesus. He welcomed those Christian principles into his life, and in the moment of the final battle he raised his eyes to heaven and invoked the protection of the Virgin Mary […] The love you have for Maurizio is not extinguished by death, now the way of communicating changes. His soul comes through prayer.”
THE BEGINNING OF THE FUNERAL RITE – The funeral rite begins: “Brothers and sisters, we are here today to accompany Maurizio’s soul back to his father’s house with our prayers, we do so with the awareness that it is true, the curtain closed, but the first act ended, his life and his soul continues to love and love and feel our love. Today we are in the presence of a God who is not of the dead but of the resurrection and of life” says Don Walter Insero, recently appointed chaplain by Pope Francis. In recent months, the priest has shared various initiatives undertaken to help the neediest with Maurizio Costanzo.
THE ARRIVAL OF MARIA DE FILIPPI – Maria De Filippi has arrived at the Church of the Artists for the funeral of her husband Maurizio Costanzo together with son of the couple Gabriele and to Raffaella Mennoia, author of Men and women. The other two sons of Costanzo, Camilla and Saverio are already in the church. In the meantime, other friends and colleagues have arrived at the Aristi Church, including the CEO of Mediaset, Piersilvio Berlusconi, the president of Napoli, Aurelio De Laurentiis, and Amadeus with his wife Giovanna, Pino Insegno, Carlo Conti, Mara Venier, Christian De Sica with Silvia Verdone.
THE CUFF ARRIVES IN PIAZZA DEL POPOLO – Il Maurizio Costanzo’s coffin arrives in Piazza del Popolo greeted by a long round of applause. The funeral procession, which left from the Campidoglio where the funeral home was set up on Saturday and Sunday, arrives at the church after a long journey through the streets of the capital which also passed through the Prati district, where Costanzo lived and worked. In addition to relatives, several friends and colleagues of the great journalist have already arrived in the church: the president of Mediaset, Fedele Confalonieri, Giorgio Panariello, Ultimo, Alex Britti, Vladimir Luxuria, Lele Mora, Gerry Scotti, Massimo Lopez, Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia, Pio and Amedeo, Rocco Papaleo, Ricky Tognazzi, Simona Izzo, Lorenzo Mieli, Paolo Sorrentino, Lorella Cuccarini with Silvio Testi, Simona Ventura and many others. Numerous floral tributes, among which the crown of yellow and red flowers stands out sent by the Roma team, of which Costanzo was a great fan.