The funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who died this Saturday at the age of 95, will be “solemn but sober”, as he had expressed, although there are doubts about the presence of the heads of state at the funeral or where he will go. be buried
The figure of the pope emeritus is not regulated, which has led to the fact that in recent days, when Joseph Ratzinger’s worsening state of health became known, meetings began in the Vatican on the protocol after the death of the pontiff who ceased to hold office. some time ago, almost 10 years, according to Efe.
According to Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni, Benedict XVI’s last wish was for his funeral to be “as simple as possible. Solemn but sober,” reports the Spanish news agency.
For now, Bruni only explained that the funeral of Benedict XVI will be officiated by Pope Francis on January 5, at 9:30 am local time (8:30 am in Lisbon), in São Pedro Square, between four and six days. after the death of the pontiff, according to tradition.
However, the spokesperson did not specify whether it will be a state funeral, to which authorities from all over the world will be invited.
The body will be exposed in St. Peter’s Basilica from Monday until the eve of the funeral, and it is not yet known if the body will be embalmed, as was the case with some of its predecessors.
It is also not known whether Ratzinger’s body will be placed in three coffins, as is customary: one made of cypress lined with crimson velvet and wrapped in another made of lead four millimeters thick, wrapped in another made of varnished elm wood.
His burial place is also unknown, although his biographer, Peter Seewald, believes that it is in the crypt dedicated to the pontiffs under the Vatican basilica.
In anticipation of the influx of worshipers on Monday, St. Peter’s Square has already been closed to all tourists and visitors, and the parking of vehicles in the adjacent streets has been prohibited.
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who died this Saturday at the age of 95, shook the Church by resigning his pontificate for health reasons on February 11, 2013, two months after completing eight years in office.
Joseph Ratzinger was born in 1927 in Marktl am Inn, in the German diocese of Passau, and was Pope from 2005 to 2013.
Ratzinger became the first German to head the Catholic Church in many centuries and a representative of the Church’s most dogmatic lineage.
The sexual abuse of minors by priests and the “Vatileaks”, in which case confidential documents of the Pope were revealed, were cases that shook his pontificate.
Benedict XVI ordered an inspection of the dioceses involved, called the abuses a “heinous crime” and apologized to the victims.
During his trip to Portugal in May 2010, Benedict XVI stated that “forgiveness is not a substitute for justice.”
Source: TSF
