Pope Francis to preside over funeral of Benedict XVI on January 5, says Vatican

The funeral of pope emeritus Benedict XVI, who died this Saturday (31), aged 95, will be held in St.

The announcement was made by spokesman Matteo Bruni. The ceremony will be presided over by Pope Francis.

This week, Pope Francis’ announcement that his predecessor was “very sick” raised concern and raised questions about what rituals and procedures should be adopted in the event of the death of a pope emeritus – something similar has not happened for six centuries.

Although protocols for the death of a pope are already known, there is little information about the funeral ceremony of a pope emeritus. One of the only pieces of information known is that the conclave to elect a new leader of the Catholic Church would obviously not happen, after all the post belongs to Francis.

According to the Associated Press news agency, Catholic Church observers believe that Benedict’s funeral rites will be similar to those of a retired bishop of Rome: a funeral should be held in the basilica or in St. Peter’s Square. The burial must be in one of the Vatican caves, where the bodies of other leaders are buried.

In the case of Benedict XVI, of course, adjustments will be necessary: ​​as he was a head of state, the funeral will have to be more pompous and will certainly be attended by official delegations from all over the world. For tributes to be paid, the body of the pope emeritus would remain exposed for days.

But the ceremonies must be shorter than those held on the death of a pope. The nine days of official mourning after the death of the leader of the Catholic Church, called “novemdiales”, are unlikely to happen when Benedict XVI dies, experts told The Associated Press.

In 2005, after the death of John Paul II at the age of 84, thousands of pilgrims faced long queues day and night to honor the religious leader.

Benedict XVI announced his intention to resign in February 2013, shocking a meeting of cardinals, with the justification that he no longer had the physical and spiritual strength to administer the Catholic Church. He formally stepped down on February 28 of that year, moving temporarily to the papal summer residence south of Rome while cardinals from around the world flocked to Rome to choose his successor. Argentine Francisco, the first pope from Latin America, was elected in March 2013.

Who are some of the other pontiffs who have resigned

Clement I (92-101): One of the first popes, would have been the first to resign, for reasons that are not clear;

Pontian (230-235): Resigned during the persecution of Christians by Emperor Maximinus;

Marcellinus (296-304): It is not certain whether he abdicated or whether he was deposed after complying with Emperor Diocletian’s order to offer sacrifices to pagan gods;

Benedict V (964): Accepted deposition by Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, after only one month in office;

Benedict 9th (1032-1045): Left office after selling the papacy to Gregory VI;

Celestine 5th (1294): He stayed only five months in the papacy and issued a decree allowing his resignation; he was arrested and died in prison;

Gregory II (1406-1415): Resigned to end the Great Schism;

Benedict 16 (2005-2013): Alleging a lack of ‘vigor both in body and spirit’ at 85, he stunned as the first pope to abdicate in nearly 600 years; aged 95 today, he still lives in the Vatican.