A week after a plane crash claimed 96 lives, including those of the president, Lech Kaczynski, and his wife, Poland began a two-day memorial Saturday. Around 100,000 people, including the victims’ families, packed into Warsaw’s largest square for a funeral Mass, where the names of the dead were read aloud. Former President Lech Walesa, Prime Minister Donald Tusk and acting President Bronislaw Komorowski were also in attendance. A separate funeral Mass for the first couple will be held at noon and they will be buried with a state funeral on Sunday. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev were expected among the foreign dignitaries, but the ash cloud that is crippling air travel across Europe has grounded Obama from making the journey to pay his respects. "Michelle and I continue to have the Polish people in our thoughts and prayers, and will support them in any way I can as they recover from this terrible tragedy," the president said. U.S. Ambassador to Poland, Lee Feinstein, will attend the funeral in Obama's place.
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