The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Benedict XVI lies in St. Peter's Basilica before his funeral

2023-01-02T11:52:46.974Z


Mourners waiting in line in St. Peter's Square told CNN they wanted to pay their respects to the pope emeritus.


This is how Joseph Ratzinger resigned from the position of leader of the Church 3:38

(CNN) --

The funeral chapel of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who died on Saturday at the age of 95, was installed in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City on Monday ahead of his funeral later this week.

Benedict, who was the first pontiff in nearly 600 years to resign his office, rather than hold it for life, died on December 31 in a monastery in Vatican City, according to a Vatican statement.

  • Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI asked for forgiveness and thanked God in his last published letter

He was elected pope in April 2005, after the death of John Paul II.

The body of the emeritus pope was transferred from the monastery to St. Peter's Basilica on Monday morning, where the funeral chapel was installed for the faithful to say goodbye, the Vatican said.

People queue to enter St. Peter's Basilica to pay tribute to emeritus Pope Benedict XVI in Vatican City on January 2, 2023, ahead of his funeral on Thursday.

Mourners waiting in line in St. Peter's Square told CNN they wanted to pay their respects to the pope emeritus.

“We are here to pray, to thank God for the life of Pope Benedict,” said Paul, a student from Scotland.

advertising

"Aside from his theology, which was very important to the Church, I think that all the time he spent in his retreat praying for the Church has been a great testimony to all of us."

The funeral of Benedict XVI will take place at 9:30 local time (3:30 am ET) on Thursday in Saint Peter's Square in Vatican City, according to the director of the Holy See press office, Matteo Bruni. .

The funeral will be presided over by Pope Francis.

In accordance with Benedict's wishes, his funeral will be "simple," Bruni said.

Francis paid tribute to his predecessor as he led the Angelus prayer on Sunday.

“In particular, this greeting is for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who passed away yesterday morning.

We salute you as a faithful servant of the gospel,” he said.

Benedict was known to be more conservative than his successor, Pope Francis, who has taken steps to soften the Vatican's position on abortion and homosexuality, as well as doing more to deal with the sexual abuse crisis that has engulfed the church. in recent years and clouded Benedict's legacy.

  • 'God's Rottweiler': Benedict shaped Catholic doctrine but faced criticism for handling of sexual abuse crisis

He shocked Catholic faithful and religious experts around the world in 2013 when he announced his plans to step down as pope, citing his "advanced age."

In his farewell address, the outgoing pope vowed to remain "hidden" from the world, but continued to speak out on religious matters in the years after his retirement, contributing to tensions within the Catholic Church.

His death drew tributes from political and religious leaders, including US President Joe Biden, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the Dalai Lama.

CNN's Delia Gallagher and Valentina di Donato reported from Rome.

CNN's Frederik Pleitgen, Allegra Goodwin, Sharon Braithwaite and James Frater contributed to this report.

Benedict XVI

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2023-01-02

You may like

News/Politics 2024-02-11T12:53:37.131Z

Trends 24h

News/Politics 2024-03-28T06:04:53.137Z

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.