The third and final day of homage to Benedict XVI in the Vatican basilica began at 7.
The faithful are in line but not with the numbers of the past few days
.
The queues are above all at the metal detector controls then inside the square and up to the entrance of the basilica the faithful flow.
It is likely that the flow will increase during the day considering that it will be the last opportunity for pilgrims to pay homage to the Pope Emeritus, before tomorrow's funeral.
"Before starting this catechesis, I would like us to join those nearby who are paying homage to Benedict XVI and
turn my thoughts to him
, who was a great teacher of catechesis.
His acute and polite thought was not self-referential, but ecclesial, because he always wanted to accompany us to an encounter with Jesus. Jesus, the Risen Crucified, the Living One and the Lord, was the goal to which Pope Benedict led us, taking us by hand.
Help us to rediscover in Christ the joy of believing and the hope of living". Pope Francis said this before starting the general audience
Ratzinger, preparations for the funeral are in full swing in St. Peter's Square
About 70,000 people paid homage to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on the second day of the funeral home in St. Peter's Basilica.
With the 65,000 faithful registered yesterday, a total of 135,000 pilgrims have decided to pay homage to Joseph Ratzinger in two days.
It will be possible to pay a final tribute to the resigning pope today until 7pm and tomorrow from 7am to 7pm, while the funeral is scheduled for Thursday in St. Peter's Square.
Pope Francis will celebrate it.
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI will be buried immediately after the funeral ceremony
and inside the coffin he will have the coins and medals minted during his pontificate and the pallia, or the liturgical vestments he had during his ecclesiastical career.
This was announced by the director of the Vatican press office, Matteo Bruni, during a briefing with international journalists in view of the funeral of the Pope Emeritus.
"Furthermore - he added - the deed will also be inserted into the coffin, a written text describing the Pontificate which is placed in a metal cylinder" inside the coffin.
The coffin that will house the remains of the Pope Emeritus will be triple, with a first lining in cypress, one in zinc and the last one in wood, probably oak.
LIVE FROM ST. PETER'S SQUARE
ANSA Agency
Farewell to Ratzinger: the faithful pay homage to the pope emeritus - Chronicle
THE PHOTOS - Faithful in line to enter St. Peter's to pay homage to Benedict XVI - ALL VIDEOS.
Ratzinger's body will be on display for three days, until the funeral which will be held on Thursday.
Mattarella's homage before the opening of the Basilica.
Prime Minister Meloni in the Vatican basilica, with her the undersecretary of the Mantuan Council presidency and Minister Lollobrigida.
Life as Ratzinger, childhood in Bavaria and renunciation (ANSA)
First arrivals in Rome of personalities and delegations
to pay homage to the body and attend the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
This morning the Patriarch of Antioch of the Syrians, Ignazio Youssef III Younan, arrived at Fiumicino airport on a scheduled flight from Istanbul.
The delegation also includes an archbishop of Baghdad and one of Aleppo.
Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, metropolitan archbishop emeritus of Seoul, is expected in the capital from South Korea in the evening.
From the royals of Belgium to the presidents of Hungary and Poland, there will be numerous political personalities who will take part in the funeral of Benedict XVI
.
These are participations "in a personal capacity", as confirmed yesterday by the press office of the Holy See, as the only official delegations foreseen by the ceremonial are the Italian and the German ones, led by Sergio Mattarella and Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
At the moment to have confirmed their presence are the mother of the King of Spain, Queen Sofia, the King and Queen of Belgium, Philip and Mathilde, the Polish president Andrzej Duda, the Portuguese Marcelo Nuno Duarte Rebelo de Sousa, the Hungarian Katalin Novak and the governor of Bavaria Markus Söder.
The list is obviously temporary and is inevitably destined to grow in the next few hours.
Numerous religious leaders will also pay homage to the pope emeritus.
Among these confirmed their presence the Patriarch of Antioch of the Syrians,
Hungarian premier Viktor Orban
paid homage at the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in St. Peter's Basilica.
The prime minister, accompanied by his wife, entered the basilica and went towards the coffin with the remains of Joseph Ratzinger.
Even the president of the Senate, Ignazio La Russa visited the funeral home set up inside St. Peter's Basilica.
La Russa, accompanied by Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, archpriest of the Basilica, paused for a few minutes in prayer next to the coffin of Joseph Ratzinger.
Ratzinger, Father Georg prays in front of the coffin and stops to talk to Orban
"Silence has made them accomplices", with this slogan addressed to the three Popes John Paul II, Benedict XVI, who died recently, and the "reigning" Francis,
Pietro Orlandi
, brother of Emanuela Orlandi, the Vatican girl who disappeared in Rome in 1983 , called a protest sit-in to be held in Largo Giovanni XXIII from 4.30pm to 6.30pm on 14 January.
"We - explains Pietro Orlandi - will never give up and will continue until the end to demand Truth and Justice, we owe it to Emanuela and to all the victims of human cruelty".
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