Funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
Funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, over 50 thousand faithful in St. Peter’s for a last farewell
The coffin of Benedict XVI has just left St. Peter’s Square to be transported to the Vatican grottoes, inside the Basilica, for burial. Thus ended today’s morning, January 5, the funeral of the Pope Emeritus, who will be remembered for the role of Joseph Ratzinger in history and for the numbers of the ceremony.
The body was welcomed in the square by long applause and by the “Santo Subito” choirs of the over 50,000 faithful present, according to the Police Headquarters, in line since dawn to take part in the last farewell to the former Pontiff. Inside an armored Vatican City also many children, and then over a thousand journalists and 3700 priests: these are just a few numbers of the ceremony, solemn but sober, as Ratzinger wanted.
Funeral of Benedict XVI, homily and homage by Pope Francis
The funeral was celebrated by Pope Francis, who arrived in a wheelchair, and concelebrated by over 120 cardinals: “Blessed, faithful friend of the Bridegroom, may your joy be perfect in hearing his voice definitively and forever!” were the last words ofhomily of the Pontiff, who then blessed and prayed over the coffin.
Funeral of Benedict XVI, the big names in politics in St. Peter’s for a last farewell. Look who was there
Two official delegations present, the Italian one and the German one: the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarellatogether with his daughter Laura and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni; German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, together with Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Soder. And many other politicians and heads of state, in private form, gathered to participate in the funeral of Benedict XVI. Among the personalities present, in the front row Queen Sofia of Spain, seated next to King Philip of Belgium and his wife; the Lithuanian president Gitanas Nauseda, the Polish head of state Andrzei Duda, the Portuguese counterpart Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. And again the president of Slovenia and the Hungarian head of state. However, the Magyar premier Viktor Orban, who had visited the body of Benedict XVI in recent days, was absent. The prime ministers of the Czech Republic and Slovakia were also present. For France Gérald Darmanin, Minister of the Interior.
There are also numerous Italian politicians present in the churchyard: the Minister of Culture Gennaro Sangiuliano, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty Francesco Lollobrigida, the Minister of Economy Giancarlo Giorgetti, the Minister of Defense Guido Crosetto, the Minister of Justice Carlo Nordio.
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