Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI will be buried in the red vestments of a pope, but his death did not follow official Vatican protocol as he was not a sitting pontiff
Crowds of people have been flocking since the morning to St. Peter’s Basilica, in the Vatican, where from today the body of Pope Benedict, who died on New Year’s Eve at the age of 95, is on display for popular pilgrimage.
Pope emeritus Benedict XVI will be buried in the red vestments of a pope, but his death did not follow official Vatican protocol as he was not an active pontiff.
On February 28, 2013, Benedict officially resigned as pontiff, causing enormous surprise to faithful Catholics and beyond. The reason for this decision, as he himself underlined, was his health problems, which had worsened. After the election of Francis, Benedict was named “pontiff emeritus of the Roman Catholic Church.”
According to the AP, for the same reasons, when he died, official protocol was not followed, meaning that the bells of St. Peter’s Basilica were not rung, no official announcement was made to the faithful in the square, and there were no official invitations.
Former Pope Benedict XVI will be buried on January 5 in a crypt at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The funeral will be low-key, in keeping with his wishes for “simplicity,” but also making clear that his status as an emeritus does not merit papal pomp, the Associated Press reports.
The Vatican has officially invited only Italy and France and advised that any other foreign leader or official who wishes to attend can do so but in his “private capacity”.
Read the News today and get the latest news.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news.
With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
