The solemn funeral concluded with a liturgical moment of “Farewell”, by which the Pope Emeritus entrusted to God.
A moment of prayer and affection: Before Benedict XVI’s coffin left St. Peter’s churchyard, Francis stood up and placed his hand on the coffin. A few moments, but the whole procession is interrupted by Bergoglio’s final farewell to Joseph Ratzinger.
Ratzinger’s body was buried in the Vatican Caves.
And you get cold in Rome unusually shrouded in fog, Politicians, heads of state and religious representatives This morning they have eagerly arrived at St. Peter’s Basilica to pay their last respects to Pope Ratzinger. Among those present were President Mattarella, Prime Minister Meloni and former Prime Minister Draghi.
The funeral was attended by about 50,000 devotees
As the funeral service for Pope Emeritus Joseph Ratzinger was closing, after the last “Amen” delivered by Pope Francis, The crowd of believers present in the square shouted loudly, “Holy now!”
Ratzinger in St. Peter’s Politicians and Crowned Heads
“Blessed, faithful friend of the Bridegroom, may your joy be complete in hearing His voice once and for all.” Arriving in St. Peter’s Square in a wheelchair, this Pope said in his homily at the funeral of Benedict XVI, asking that “we entrust our brother into the hands of the Father: may you find these hands of mercy lit with the oil of the Gospel that he removed and testified to in his life.”
Benedict XVI’s funeral was preceded by the recitation of the Rosary. Ratzinger’s coffin was placed in the churchyard. An open Bible was placed over the coffin.
It was a long and moving applause to welcome the arrival of Benedict XVI’s coffin in Saint Peter’s Square, carried on chairs.
the wait.
St. Peter’s Square is already full in the wee hours of a foggy day. German flags flutter in the sky and the race for the seat is tight. The first building in front of the church is already full. Around several banners with the inscription “Danke Benedikt” and a river of people still preparing to arrive to pass the controls and thus reach the square to see off the Pope Emeritus.
Thousands of faithful who are to attend the funeral of Benedict XVI in St. Peter’s Square arrived at dawn, and possibly earlier.
At 6.30 the queue coming from the Porta Sant’Anna side was already very long. The area around the Vatican is cordoned off to the end of Via della Conciliazione and to get to the gates, where there are security checkpoints, you have to make long detours. In fact, the via della Conciliazione cannot even be crossed on foot. The deployment of security forces, fire trucks and police that can be seen in the surrounding squares is remarkable. One hundred thousand people are expected to attend the ceremony.
The giveaway is for three days.
Almost two hundred thousand people in three days (195 thousand) paid homage to Pope Emeritus, who passed away on December 31, at the age of 95, His body was exposed for 72 hours inside the Basilica, a symbol of Christianity. A steady stream of faithful and tourists, like those present tomorrow, as Pope Francis will preside over the funeral in the last farewell to his predecessor. “He was a wonderful catechist,” Bergoglio’s words from the Paul VI Hall where the traditional Wednesday General Audience met. He added that his sharp and refined thought was not self-referential, but ecclesiastical, because he always wanted to accompany us to meet Jesus.
Among the faithful lined up for the funeral of Benedict XVI
Ansa agency
He resolutely fought the crimes committed by the representatives of the clergy against minors or the weak, and constantly called the Church to conversion, prayer, penance and purification. (Ansa)
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