The funeral for Pope Benedict XVI, which has drawn thousands of people paying respects and is being led by Pope Francis, got underway on Thursday.
The funeral began in a traditional ceremony in front of St. Peter’s Basilica at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican City. It was emphasized that the funeral be marked by simplicity because that is what the former pope wanted.
BIDEN SENDING US AMBASSADOR TO THE HOLY SEE TO BENEDICT XVI’S FUNERAL
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s coffin is carried to St. Peter’s Square. pic.twitter.com/gLtgjQkt0h
— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) January 5, 2023
The ceremony is similar to that of a reigning pope but with some modifications, according to the director of the Press Office of the Holy See, Matteo Bruni. Benedict will be named pope emeritus during the funeral, and the language of some prayers will be different because he was not the reigning pope when he died, per CNN.
“Benedict, faithful friend of the Bridegroom, may your joy be complete as you hear his voice, now and forever,” Francis said during the service.
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Benedict died on New Year’s Eve at the age of 95, nine years after he retired as pope, becoming the first pontiff in 600 years to do so. About 200,000 people paid their respects to Benedict during his lying in state over the last three days before the funeral, according to the Vatican.
The pope emeritus will be laid to rest in the tombs beneath the Basilica, the BBC said, where more than 90 pontiffs are buried, according to Benedict’s final wishes.
