Thousands of people were expected at the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Thursday, January 5, St. Peter’s Square, Rome. Pope Francis, 86, presides over the funeral ceremony of his predecessor, which began at 9.30 a.m. He arrived in a wheelchair in front of the altar where the simple wooden coffin containing the remains of Joseph Ratzinger, on which was been placed a copy of the Gospels, was deposited.
The ceremony must be simple, solemn and sober, in accordance with the wishes of Benedict XVI, who died on December 31, at the age of 95, at the Mater Ecclesiae monastery, in the Vatican, where he retired after his resignation in 2013 , the first in six hundred years. A mass of about two hours of Latin rite, in several languages, concelebrated by more than 4,000 cardinals, bishops and priests, must be celebrated.
Buried in the crypt of St. Peter’s Basilica
In accordance with tradition, the cypress coffin in which Benedict XVI rests contains coins and medals minted during his pontificate, his pallium (liturgical vestment) as well as a text briefly describing his pontificate, placed in a metal cylinder. After the ceremony, the coffin will be moved to St. Peter’s Basilica, where it will be wrapped in zinc before being placed in a second wooden coffin.
From Monday to Wednesday, 195,000 faithful came to Saint Peter’s Basilica to pray before the remains of the German theologian. The prefecture of Rome expects an attendance of 100,000 people for the funeral. Joseph Ratzinger will then be buried, in private, in the crypt of the basilica where John Paul II rested until 2011, alongside 90 other popes.
Only two delegations, Germany and Italy, have been officially invited by the Holy See, but many political leaders, religious dignitaries and crowned heads from all over the world have confirmed their presence. Among them, the King of the Belgians, Philippe, the Italian, Polish and Togolese presidents, the ex-Queen Sophie of Spain, or Gérald Darmanin, the French interior minister.
More than a thousand journalists from 30 countries have been accredited for the event and 1,000 police officers have been mobilized, as well as numerous Italian civil protection volunteers.
Such an event is a first in the recent history of the Catholic Church. In 1802, Pius VII had celebrated the funeral of Pius VI, who had died in exile in France three years earlier, but the latter had not renounced his office.
A brilliant professor of theology, Joseph Ratzinger was for a quarter of a century the strict guardian of the dogma of the Church in Rome at the head of the congregation for the doctrine of the faith before being elected pope in 2005. His pontificate was marked by multiple crises, like the “VatiLeaks” scandal in 2012, which exposed a vast network of corruption in the Vatican. Joseph Ratzinger having renounced his ministry before his death, his funeral will follow the liturgy reserved for the funerals of the popes, “with some differences”explained the spokesperson for the Holy See, Matteo Bruni.