- Title: "Sorrow and relief" at Chirac's funeral, as French people say goodbye
- Date: 30th September 2019
- Summary: CHIRAC'S DAUGHTER, CLAUDE CHIRAC, HUSBAND FREDERIC SALAT-BAROUX AND THEIR SON MARTIN REY CHIRAC, LEAVING CHURCH AND HOLDING HANDS TO CHEST TO THANK CROWD LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER SAAD HARIRI LEAVING CHURCH WITH OTHER GUESTS (SOUNDBITE) (French) SEGOLENE ROYAL, FRENCH POLITICIAN WHO SERVED AS A MINISTER DELEGATE UNDER CHIRAC, SAYING: "It's very comforting. In some way, there is sadness, especially for those who are close to him. But at the same time, there is something comforting, like a family that gathers. It's the family of France, in some way, gathering together when an esteemed member departs. It's a mix of sadness and comfort." EUROPEAN COMMISSION CHIEF BREXIT NEGOTIATOR, MICHEL BARNIER, WHO SERVED AS AGRICULTURE MINISTER UNDER CHIRAC, WITH OTHER GUESTS OUTSIDE CHURCH (SOUNDBITE) (French) EUROPEAN COMMISSION CHIEF BREXIT NEGOTIATOR, MICHEL BARNIER, WHO SERVED AS AGRICULTURE MINISTER UNDER CHIRAC, SAYING: "(Chirac was) someone who loved people. He loved people. That's why you have this emotion in the streets everywhere in France today, he was a man of the people. He was a statesman, I'm proud to have served under him."
- Embargoed: 14th October 2019 15:25
- Keywords: Chirac Michel Barnier Segolene Royal Saint-Sulpice funeral rites
- Location: PARIS, FRANCE
- City: PARIS, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA003AYUOI87
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Members of the public sang hymns, some shedding tears, outside Saint Sulpice Church in Paris to pay tribute to deceased former French president Jacques Chirac during his funeral on Monday (September 30).
About 30 current and former world leaders attended the funeral service for Chirac, who died last week at the age of 86.
"He was a man of the people," said Michel Barnier, now the European Commission's chief Brexit coordinator, who served as agriculture minister under Chirac. I'm proud to have served under him."
As Chirac's daughter Claude left the church with her husband Frederic Salat-Baroux, the crowd applauded. She clasped her hands to her chest in thanks.
Chirac, who served as president from 1995 to 2007, was feted by many French people for asserting their country's role as a global player, a stance that put him at odds with Washington over the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Chirac was from his earliest years a member of the French establishment, but he also had a knack for connecting with ordinary people outside the urban elite. A court conviction after he left office for misusing public funds did little to tarnish his image.
He was buried at the Montparnasse cemetery in Paris, in a plot next to his daughter Laurence, who died in 2016.
(Production: Michaela Cabrera, Kathryn Carlson) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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