Thousands of mourners arrived at St. Peter’s Square early Thursday, January 5, 2023 for the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, hoping to pay final respects to the German theologian, who made history by retiring, and participate in a rare requiem Mass for the dead pontiff.
Thick fog covered the Vatican before dawn as civil protection crews and police manned metal detectors and barricades to direct well-wishers into the square.
Police estimated that about 100,000 would attend, higher than an original estimate of 60,000, citing police security plans.
Pope Francis is due to preside over the funeral. Despite Benedict’s requests for simplicity and Vatican efforts to keep the first funeral for an emeritus pope in modern times low-key, the event is drawing heads of state and royalty.
Only Italy and Germany were invited to send official delegations, and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Italian President Sergio Mattarella confirmed their participation.
However, other heads of state and government decided to take the Vatican up on its offer and come in their “private capacity.” They included several other heads of state, at least four Prime Ministers and two delegations of royal representatives.
The funeral rite calls for Benedict’s coffin to be carried out from the basilica and placed before the altar as the faithful recite the rosary around 8:45 a.m. local time (2.45 a.m. ET).
The ritual itself is modeled on the code used for dead popes but with some modifications because Benedict was not a reigning pope when he died.
After the Mass, Benedict’s cypress coffin is to be placed inside a zinc one, then an outer oak casket before being entombed in the crypt in the grottos underneath the basilica that once held the tomb of St. John Paul II before it was moved upstairs into the main basilica.
About 200,000 people paid tribute to Benedict during the three days of public viewing in St. Peter’s Basilica, with one of the last ones being Friar Rosario Vitale, who spent an hour praying by his body.
Friar Rosario Vitale said Benedict had given him a special dispensation to begin the process of becoming a priest, which was required because of a physical disability.
“So today I came here to pray on his tomb, on his body and to say ‘thank you’ for my future priesthood, for my ministry. I owe him a lot and this for me was really a gift to be able to pray for an hour on his bier.”
Friar Rosario Vitale
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, real name Joseph Ratzinger, who died on December 31, 2022 at age 95, is considered one of the 20th century’s greatest theologians and he spent his lifetime upholding church doctrine.
However, Benedict XVI retired, the first pope in six centuries to do so.
Pope Francis Praises Benedict’s Courage
Pope Francis has praised Benedict’s courage in stepping aside when he believed he no longer had the strength to lead the church, saying it “opened the door” to other popes doing the same.
Francis, for his part, recently disclosed that he has already left written instructions outlining the conditions in which he too would resign if he were to become incapacitated.
Benedict never intended his retirement to last as long as it did; at nearly 10 years it was longer than his eight-year pontificate.
The unprecedented situation of a retired pope living alongside a reigning one prompted calls for protocols to guide future popes emeritus to prevent any confusion about who is really in charge.
The ceremony is expected to end at around 11:15 a.m. local time.
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