This Thursday (5) Pope Francis presides over the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who died on the 31st at the age of 95. The farewell ceremony for the German pontiff began at 9:30 am (5:30 am in Brasilia) in St. Peter’s Square, in the Vatican.
More than 60,000 people are expected to attend the event. At least 13 heads of state and government are expected for the funeral, such as Frank-Walter Steinmeier, president of Germany — the religious’s homeland. Royalty should also be present, such as the King of Belgium, Philippe, and the Queen Consort of Spain, Leticia.
Joseph Ratzinger’s body was laid to rest for three days in St. Peter’s Basilica, where some 195,000 people paid their respects, according to the Vatican. Visits ended at 7 pm (3 pm in Brasilia) this Wednesday (4), and the body was placed in a cypress coffin prepared for the funeral.
The first pope to resign in nearly six centuries, Ratzinger will have a funeral with protocols similar to those of a pope who stayed in office until death. According to custom, coins and medals minted during the pontificate of Benedict XVI, a lead cylinder containing a Latin text describing the German’s deeds, in addition to the pallium, a white woolen sash traditionally worn by a pope over the shoulders.
At 8:45 am (4:45 am in Brasilia) this Thursday, the so-called papal knights carried the coffin in procession to St. Peter’s square. The funeral mass presided over by Francis began shortly afterwards, at 9:30 am (5:30 am in Brasilia). The Argentine pontiff, who suffers from pain in his knee due to a torn ligament, must spend most of the ceremony sitting in front of the coffin.
The Mass is concelebrated by about 120 cardinals, 400 bishops and nearly 4,000 priests. At the end, Francis must sprinkle holy water on the coffin and say in Latin: “Gracious Father, we commend to your mercy Pope Emeritus Benedict, made by the successor of Peter and pastor of the Church, a fearless preacher of your word and a faithful minister of the divine mysteries”.
A choir will then sing in Latin: “May the angels lead you to paradise; may the martyrs come and receive you and carry you to the holy city, the new and eternal Jerusalem.”
After the mass commanded by Francis, officials must take the body of Benedict 16 back to the basilica. The coffin will then be wrapped in two others: an intermediate one, made of zinc and adorned with a cross, and an outer one, made of walnut and closed with gold nails.
Complying with a desire manifested in life by Benedict XVI, he will be buried in the same crypt where the body of John Paul II remained until 2011, when, already beatified, he was taken to another chapel.
Benedict XVI will be marked by the surprising decision, on February 11, 2013, to resign from the papacy. Since Gregory the 12th, in 1415, a pontiff had not left the leadership of the Catholic Church on his own.
Italian newspapers said at the time that he was disgusted by sexual and financial scandals at the Vatican’s top hierarchy. But the version ended up not being confirmed, which favored the thesis that he, sick and three encyclicals later, was weakened by the routine of almost eight years of the pontificate.
Benedict 16 died at 9:34 am (05:34 GMT) on Saturday, according to the Catholic Church. On the last day 28, Pope Francis had asked for prayers, saying that his predecessor was very sick.
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