It should be noted that French First Lady, (Italian born) Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, didn't don any such Catholic burqa when meeting Benedict in Paris earlier this year. Granted, it was not in the Vatican (Sarkozy visited the Vatican in December 2007 without Carla; they were not married yet).
Europeans think a hundred miles is a long way. Americans think a hundred years is a long time.
caption contest worth.
i'm getting: 'nice piece of ass, eh benny?' ~"When an inner situation is not made conscious, it appears outside as fate." Karl Jung~
Carla Bruni, the wife of French president Nicolas Sarkozy, has been criticised by the Italian press for snobbery verging on 'boorishness' for snubbing the summit's official programme. "Someone tell the first lady that snobbery to the nth degree where we come from is called boorishness," the paper Il Giornale said as the G8 was wrapping up in L'Aquila, central Italy.On Thursday, the other G8 first ladies including Michelle Obama toured the city devastated by an April 6 earthquake, while Miss Bruni planned to visit the disaster zone on Friday.Miss Bruni, who arrived in Italy late Thursday, also stayed away from the wives' audience with Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday.
"Someone tell the first lady that snobbery to the nth degree where we come from is called boorishness," the paper Il Giornale said as the G8 was wrapping up in L'Aquila, central Italy.
On Thursday, the other G8 first ladies including Michelle Obama toured the city devastated by an April 6 earthquake, while Miss Bruni planned to visit the disaster zone on Friday.
Miss Bruni, who arrived in Italy late Thursday, also stayed away from the wives' audience with Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday.
ROME (AFP) - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Saturday said "sorry" for an editorial attack on France's first lady Carla Bruni for staying away from events organised for the Group of Eight summit. Il Giornale newspaper, which is owned by Berlusconi's brother, had accused the Italian wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy of "boorishness" for snubbing the official programme for G8 spouses. "I was very upset and deeply sorry when I was told about the articles published in the Italian dailies, including Il Giornale, containing offensive remarks about Mme Carla Bruni, wife of the president of the French republic," Berlusconi said in a statement. He said the comments were "out of place" and expressed his "esteem and friendship" for Bruni and Sarkozy. Bruni came in for withering criticism from the right-wing daily on Friday.
ROME (AFP) - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Saturday said "sorry" for an editorial attack on France's first lady Carla Bruni for staying away from events organised for the Group of Eight summit.
Il Giornale newspaper, which is owned by Berlusconi's brother, had accused the Italian wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy of "boorishness" for snubbing the official programme for G8 spouses.
"I was very upset and deeply sorry when I was told about the articles published in the Italian dailies, including Il Giornale, containing offensive remarks about Mme Carla Bruni, wife of the president of the French republic," Berlusconi said in a statement.
He said the comments were "out of place" and expressed his "esteem and friendship" for Bruni and Sarkozy.
Bruni came in for withering criticism from the right-wing daily on Friday.
