Roman
CNN
—
Pope Francis pays respect to his predecessor Former Pope Benedict XVI Thursday, at a funeral attended by tens of thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square.
This event marks the first occasion in modern times that a pope presides over funeral of his predecessor – and the first to resign. Benedict, the first pope in nearly 600 years to resign rather than hold office for life, died at the age of 95 on December 31 in a convent in Vatican City.
It was an occasion characterized by simplicity, as desired by the former pope. Father James Martin, a Jesuit priest, writer and editor, told CNN’s Max Foster and Bianca Nobilo on CNN Newsroom: “It’s hard to have a simple ceremony in St. Peter’s Square, but I think yes.
“You have to have a bit of pomp and ceremony for a former pope, but I think in the light of what Pope Emeritus Benedict wanted, it worked out very well.”
About 50,000 people attended the funeral in St Peter’s Square, according to Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni, with many members of the crowd calling for the canonization of the late pope.
That compares with the estimated 1.1 million who attended the funeral of Benedict’s predecessor, Pope John Paul II. There were 500,000 people in Saint Peter’s Square and the surrounding area in 2005, and another 600,000 watched on video screens in other parts of Rome.
John Paul II’s funeral was the largest gathering of heads of state outside the United Nations. The delegations included nine monarchs along with 70 presidents and prime ministers.
In the six days between John Paul II’s death and his funeral, an estimated 3 million people came to pay their last respects. Every hour, 21,000 people pass through St Peter’s Basilica. The average wait time to see the pope is 13 hours, and at maximum, the line is 3 miles long.
In the photo: Funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
Dignitaries and religious leaders lined up in the square on Thursday, which can hold about 60,000 people, to attend the ceremony. Prime Minister Petr Fiala of the Czech Republic, was among those in attendance, according to CNN affiliate CNN Prima.
The ceremony is similar to that of a sitting pope but with some modifications. Benedict was named pope emeritus at the funeral, and the language of some prayers was different because he was not the incumbent pope when he died.
Francis began presiding over Thursday morning Mass, during which he gave a sermon at around 10 a.m. local time (4 a.m. ET). Members of the crowd then took part in Communion.
Benedict’s coffin was transported through the Basilica and moved to the Vatican crypt for burial, in the first tomb of John Paul II. The tomb was emptied after John Paul II’s body and remains were moved to a chapel inside the Basilica after he became a saint.
As Benedict’s coffin was brought to St Peter’s Basilica, many members of the crowd could be heard chanting “Santo Subito,” a call for the Pope emeritus to be canonized immediately.
“The faithful of God, gathered here, now accompany and entrust to him the life of their shepherd,” Pope Francis said as he delivered his homily.
“Like the women at the grave, we too have come with the fragrance of gratitude and the fragrance of hope, to once again show him undying love. We want to do this with the same wisdom, tenderness, and devotion that he has bestowed upon us over the years. Together we want to say: ‘Father, we praise your spirit in your hands’.
“Benedict, faithful friend of the Bridegroom, may your joy be complete when you hear his voice, now and forever,” added Francis.
At the time of the rite of burial, a cloth was placed around the coffin with the seals of the apostolic chamber, papal house and liturgical services. The cypress coffin is placed inside a welded and sealed zinc casket, then placed inside a wooden coffin, which is burial, according to Bruni.
The ceremony is scheduled to end around 11:15 a.m. local time (5:15 a.m. ET).
Senior dignitaries including Queen Sofia of Spain and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will attend the funeral, along with US Ambassador to the Holy See Joe Donelly.
Benedict was elected pope in April 2005 following the death of John Paul II. He is known to be more conservative than his successor, Pope Francis, who has moved to soften the Vatican’s stance on abortion and homosexuality, as well as make more efforts to deal with it. The sexual abuse crisis has engulfed the Church in recent years and cast a shadow over it. Benedict’s Legacy.
The scroll, placed inside the coffin of Pope Benedict XVI, is a biography of his life and addresses some of the most important moments of his tenure, recalling that he was “resolute” in his struggle. against pedophilia.
“He resolutely fights against crimes committed by members of the clergy against minors or vulnerable people, constantly calling on the Church to conversion, prayer, penance and purification,” the scroll reads.
His death has led political and religious leaders, including US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the Dalai Lama, to pay their respects.
Some 200,000 mourners, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Sergio Mattarella, paid their respects to the former pope earlier this week while he was resting in St Peter’s Basilica.
A public visit to Benedict ended Wednesday, before an intimate religious ceremony in which items included coins and medals minted during his tenure and a scroll about pontificate was placed in his sealed cypress sarcophagus before the funeral.
Meloni paid tribute to the “enlightenment theologian” Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in a tweet on Thursday.
“Today at St Peter’s Basilica to say a final goodbye to Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Emeritus. Enlightenment theologian who left us a spiritual and intellectual legacy of faith, trust and hope,” Meloni wrote on Twitter after the funeral she attended.
She added: “It is our duty to always preserve and honor it and continue its precious teachings.
The Italian government had previously announced on Wednesday that the Italian and European flags would be flown at half-mast on public buildings across Italy on Thursday.
