In a ceremony unprecedented in centuries of ecclesial history, Pope Francis presided this Thursday at the funeral of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, passed away last Saturday at the age of 95.
(Also: Pope Francis’s farewell to Benedict XVI: ‘May your joy be perfect’)
Around 50,000 people gathered in Saint Peter’s Square in the Vatican to participate in the funeral, at the end of which the coffin was carried on their shoulders to the Vatican caves, where it was entombed in a triple coffin, while some faithful shouted ” Holy Subito!” (Holy now!, in Spanish).
A banner with the same message and other posters thanking the pontiff written in German, his mother tongue, were also seen. Already in the previous days, Archbishop Georg Ganswein, personal secretary of the emeritus pope, had warned that shouts of “santo subito!” during the funerals.
Despite the solemnity and emotion of the moment, the atmosphere was very different from the one experienced on the same stage 17 years ago, when more than a million people participated in the funeral of John Paul II and they vehemently demanded the immediate proclamation as a saint of the Polish Pope, whose popularity and image ended up eclipsing his successor, much more timid and who found it difficult to connect with the broad masses.
(Also: Benedict XVI: the legacy of the pope who had the courage to resign)
Benedict XVI was a Pope of ironies
That request of the faithful would end up coming true in 2014, when Karol Wojtyla was canonized by Francis in a multitudinous ceremony in which John XXIII also achieved the maximum glory of the altars.
(Also read: Francis was the first to come to watch over Benedict XVI after his death)
From early Thursday morning, lines formed around the Vatican by the early risers, who experienced their first emotional moment at 8:50 am, when the coffin with the mortal remains of Benedict XVI was transferred from the vatican basilica to the parvisthe part of Saint Peter’s Square closest to the façade.
was welcomed with a prayer of the rosary that lasted until 9:30 amthe hour at which the funeral presided over by Francisco began.
Instead, the Italian cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, officiated the liturgy to prevent the Pope from having to stand for a long time, as doctors advise against due to his mobility problems and knee pain. Jorge Mario Bergoglio, however, at the end of the ceremony walked to the coffin with his cane, touched it and prayed in front of it for a few moments.
(We invite you to read: Pope Francis prays for peace and for Benedict XVI at the first mass of 2023)
Before, during the homily, he had made several quotes from texts by Benedict XVI, whom he described as a “faithful friend of the husband” (Jesus Christ), wishing that his “joy be perfect in hearing his voice definitively and forever.”
one hundred and thirty cardinals and around 3,700 priests attended the ceremonyin which heads of state or government from 14 countries participated, although it was not a state funeral for having concluded the pontificate with his historic resignation nearly 10 years ago.
(Continue reading: The controversies of Benedict XVI, a conservative and questioned pope)
bravely and decisively faced two major scandals as pope
In addition to the representatives of Germany, where Ratzinger was bornand from Italy, where he spent a good part of his life, and whose presidents had been invited by the Holy See, the rest of the leaders attended in a personal capacity.
The ceremony enjoyed the liturgical solemnity reserved for the funerals of popes, although with some simplifications to adapt to the request of Benedict XVI of being fired in a “easy” way. There were also other changes motivated by the peculiar fact that it was a bishop of Rome who presided over the funeral of his predecessor.
(Also: Last photos of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI before his death; he looked thin)
Once the funeral is over, the cypress wooden coffin containing the mortal remains of Ratzinger He was carried on shoulders back to the basilica to then be transferred to the existing crypt under the temple to proceed to his burial, next to the tombs of other existing popes in the Vatican caves.
Since I have had important responsibilities in the Catholic Church, the greater my sorrow for the abuses and errors that have occurred during the time of my mission.
Following the protocol established on these occasions, this first coffin made of cypress wood lined with crimson velvet was placed in a second box, in this case made of zinc, which was sealed, to finally be received by a third coffin made of oak wood.
The lifeless body of Benedict XVI now rests in the space occupied by the former tomb of John Paul II, whose mortal remains were transferred to the Basilica of San Pedro, next to the Pietà by Michelangelo, when he was beatified in 2011.
(Similarly: The official prayer to ask for the soul of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI)
Before the burial, the coins and medals of his pontificate, his palios and a document that summarizes his life and pontificate, the so-called rogito, which is kept in a metal cylinder, were placed next to the deceased.
In the text that was placed this Thursday on the coffin of Benedict XVI, attention is drawn to the claim that the Vatican makes his figure by ensuring that “he fought firmly against the crimes committed by representatives of the clergy against minors or vulnerable people.”
In an open defense of his work against ecclesiastical pedophilia, the document recalls that “he made continuous appeals to the Church for its conversion, prayer, penance and purification.”
Ratzinger began to deal with the problem of sexual abuse of minors committed by clergymen when he was the cardinal prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican “ministry” in charge of dealing with this matter, thus leading to the first
The path, in which he tried to delve as pontiff, however it is still long and riddled with errors, as shown by the continuous trickle of undercover and poorly managed cases in recent decades.
Ratzinger himself had to show his “deep shame, great pain and sincere request for forgiveness” last year to all the victims of ecclesiastical pedophilia after the publication of a report on abuses in the Archdiocese of Munich, of which he was in charge between 1977 and 1982.
(Keep reading: The pontificate of Benedict XVI and the pedophilia scandals)
Although the emeritus pope then defended his innocence after the aforementioned document accused him of not acting in the face of four cases of pedophile priests, he recognized that the Church and he himself could have done much more.
“Since I have had important responsibilities in the Catholic Church, the greater is my sorrow for the abuses and mistakes that have occurred during the time of my mission in the respective places,” Ratzinger said.
In addition to addressing this thorny question, the rogito of Benedict XVI, which is signed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, also recalls his apostolic journeys, main magisterial texts and fight “against relativism and practical atheism”, which he fought with his “recognized authority” as a theologian.
The Church in Colombia also said goodbye
In a Eucharist in suffrage offered this Thursday morning in the Cathedral of Bogotá, the representatives of the Church in Colombiaoh, the parishioners of our country said their last goodbye to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
The ceremony, convened by the Episcopal Conference of Colombia, was presided over by the apostolic nuncio in Colombia, Monsignor Luis Mariano Montemayor, who recalled in his homily how the late pontiff was “a Pope of ironies”.
(Also: Colombian Church mourns the death of Benedict XVI)
“Benedict XVI has been, without a doubt, one of the greatest intellectual figures of our time. This eminent theologian, possessor of a great humanist culture, has been called by some with some hostility as ‘Doctor No’ of the Catholic Church and, nevertheless, he has dedicated the teaching of his pontificate to the literaryly clear and beautiful positive proposal of the mystery of the Christian faith and of the traditional teaching of the Church”, reflected the prelate.
For the monsignor, Benedict XVI shed light on the great problems that afflict modern society and advocated “for an enriching cooperation between civil society and religious communities, for the humanization of economic globalization and for citizen commitment in favor of an integral ecology that is respectful of the dignity of man”.
Among the ironies that surrounded this character, Montemayor highlighted the fact that despite the fact that he once publicly confessed that he did not have the charisma of government, “he bravely and decisively faced as Pope two major scandals that have seriously affected the reputation of the Church and its pastoral work: the abuse of minors and the lack of administrative transparency”.
DARIO MINOR
SPECIAL FOR THE WEATHER
ROME
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