The funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, scheduled for Thursday, will be similar to the traditions used in the ceremonies of his predecessors, but with modifications because he is not a pope in office, the Vatican announced on Tuesday.
Benedict XVI died on December 31 at the age of 95, having abdicated in 2013, the first in six centuries to do so. He has assumed the role of pope emeritus since Francis’ choice to replace him in the leadership of the Catholic Church.
“The liturgy ‘roughly’ follows the model of a pope’s funeral” of “some specific elements that give originality to the rite”as indicated by the spokesman of the Holy See, Matteo Bruni, who, however, indicates that other elements will be absent “because they are typical of a reigning pope”.
At the ceremony, presided over by Pope Francis, the final supplications of the Church of Rome and the Eastern Churches, as well as the readings, will be amended with a passage from the prophet Isaiah and the First Epistle of Saint Peter.
The body of Benedict XVI has been lying in a burning chamber in St. Peter’s Basilica since Monday and will leave the temple at 8:50 am local (7:50 am in Lisbon) on Thursday, 40 minutes before the start of the funeral. while the faithful pray the rosary.
Benedict XVI, like his predecessors, will be buried in a triple coffin in the Temple: first in a coffin of cypress lined with crimson velvet, in turn in a sealed zinc coffin, and finally in a third of elm.
Inside, next to the body, a metal cylinder will be introduced containing a text telling the history of the papacy of the German pope, among other objects, including medals and coins minted by him.
The same thing happened at John Paul II’s funeral, but unlike what happened at the ceremony, the text will not be read at Benedict XVI’s funeral.
On the second day of the vigil, an estimated 100,000 people gathered around St. Peter’s Basilica, which will close to the public in the late afternoon on Wednesday.
After the funeral, Benedict XVI’s triple coffin will be transferred to the crypt of St. Peter’s Basilica and, at his wish, buried in the tomb that belonged to John Paul II, which was raised to the surface of the temple in 2011.
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI shocked the Church by resigning from the pontificate for health reasons on February 11, 2013, two months before celebrating eight years in office.
Joseph Ratzinger, who was Pope between 2005 and 2013, was born in 1927 in Marktl am Inn, in the German Diocese of Passau, becoming the first German to lead the Catholic Church in many centuries and a representative of the Church’s most dogmatic line .
The sexual abuse of minors by priests and the “Vatileaks”, revealing confidential documents belonging to the pope, were themes that stirred his pontificate.
Benedict XVI called the abuse a “heinous crime” and apologized to the victims.
Benedict XVI’s funeral will take place in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. local time (8:30 a.m. in Lisbon).
Only the government and presidency delegations of Italy and Germany will officially participate in the ceremony.
The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, has already confirmed that he will be at the Vatican for the funeral ceremonies of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
Source: DN
