Funeral of Benedict XVI

now live: Ex-Pope is buried in the grave of his predecessor

Created: 05/01/2023 09:56

By: Florian Naumann, Christina Denk

Benedict XVI

is buried.

Numerous politicians and clergymen from all over the world are there.

Before that, an old friend talked about him.

The funeral in the news ticker.

• Funeral

  of

  Benedict XVI

  : The Pope Emeritus will be buried on January 5th.

• Funeral service in

  St. Peter's Basilica : The

  ceremony

  starts at around 9.30 a.m. with guests from politics, church and society.

• Insights

  into

  Benedikt's life

  : A friend from Munich raves about the old days before the ceremony

• The

  news ticker

  for the

  funeral of Benedict XVI.

  is continuously updated.

Update from January 5, 9.33 a.m .:

The funeral service for Benedict XVI.

has begun.

Pope Francis opened the service with a general confession of guilt.

Pope Francis at the funeral mass for Benedict XVI.

– in the foreground the coffin of the deceased former pontiff.

© Michael Kappeler/dpa

Update from January 5, 9.25 a.m .:

Farewell to Pope Benedict XVI.

a large delegation from Bavaria traveled to the Vatican - including political celebrities.

In addition to Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU), his predecessor Edmund Stoiber, State President Ilse Aigner (both CSU) and his deputy Hubert Aiwanger (free voters) are also present.

With Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), Federal Council President Peter Tschentscher (SPD) and Bundestag opposition leader Friedrich Merz (CDU), other high-ranking politicians from the federal level are also present.

Bavarian people wearing traditional costumes and mountain riflemen also say goodbye in person.

"We, the Bavarian mountain riflemen, had a special relationship with this Pope Benedict," said Governor Martin Haberfellner - he spoke of a "unity in spirit".

Around 200 mountain riflemen had already traveled to Rome in buses on Wednesday to take part in the funeral service on St. Peter's Square.

Benedikt, who came from Upper Bavaria, always had close ties to his homeland.

Mountain riflemen and people wearing traditional costumes wore black ties, they didn't wear flowers on their hats, and the traditional weapons stayed at home.

"We want to personally say goodbye to a good friend who we valued very much and who also valued us very much," said Haberfellner.

A view of St. Peter's Square - before the start of the service for the late Benedict XVI.

© Claudia Moellers

Update from January 5th, 9.20 a.m .:

In a church formal act before the funeral, the Vatican approved the use of Benedict XVI.

recognized in the fight against child abuse.

A letter summarizing his life was placed in the coffin of the late pontiff.

Among other things, it states: "He fought vigorously against the crimes committed by representatives of the clergy against minors or vulnerable persons and repeatedly called on the church for conversion, prayer, penance and purification." Holy See on Thursday morning with.

In Benedict's pontificate, there were a number of revelations of abuse scandals.

He took measures to protect children and condemned the crimes.

However, critics accused him of not having done enough.

In early 2022, a private report accused him of misconduct in four cases from his time as Archbishop of Munich and Freising.

He is said not to have sanctioned priests who have molested children.

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Ex-Pope Benedict is buried in the tomb of his predecessor

Update from January 5, 8:18 a.m .:

The body of the late Benedict XVI.

first rests in a coffin made of cypress wood, which in turn will be placed in a zinc box after today's service, closed to the public.

In this Benedict XVI.

finally settled in his future resting place in the grotto of St. Peter's Basilica.

Benedict XVI

will be buried in the former tomb of John Paul II.

The German had wished to be buried where his predecessor had first found his resting place after his death.

After his beatification, the Pole found his new place in the Sebastian Chapel in the second aisle of St. Peter's Basilica.

The resting place of Benedict XVI.

looks simple and is not far from the supposed tomb of the apostle Peter.

The former tomb of Pope John Paul II in the grottoes under St. Peter's Basilica.

© Kay Nietfeld/dpa/picture alliance

Funeral of Benedict XVI: 3,700 priests expected to attend service

Update from January 5, 6:18 a.m .:

After a three-day public laying-out, the late Pope Benedict XVI.

buried in St. Peter's Basilica this Thursday.

In the morning (9.30 a.m.) the incumbent pontifex Francis will preside over a requiem for the Bavarian on St. Peter's Square.

Tens of thousands of believers are expected for the funeral service.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re will celebrate Mass at the altar, Francis will read the sermon.

According to Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni, an estimated 3,700 priests are expected to attend the service.

More than 1000 media representatives from over 30 countries have registered for the event.

Just as many security forces are supposed to protect them.

The language of the Mass will be Latin.

Some parts, such as prayers, are recited in other languages.

The liturgy has been slightly modified compared to a traditional funeral service for a dead pope - because this time a pope is burying his predecessor.

After the requiem, which should last until around 11 a.m., the wooden coffin with Benedict's body is to be brought to St. Peter's Basilica and buried in the crypt in his final resting place.

The public is excluded from this.

The highest representatives of the constitutional bodies travel from Germany.

Among others, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) will be there.

Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) is traveling from Bavaria with a delegation.

The Catholic Church in Germany will be represented, among others, by the chairman of the German Bishops' Conference, Georg Bätzing, and the Archbishop of Cologne, Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki.

Cardinal Reinhard Marx (Munich and Freising), Rudolf Voderholzer (Regensburg), Stefan Oster (Passau) and the former Archbishop of Bamberg, Ludwig Schick, are coming from the Bavarian dioceses.

Before the funeral of Benedict XVI: final preparations

Update from January 4, 9:42 p.m .:

After three days in which Benedict XVI.

was publicly laid out in the Vatican, the final preparations for the funeral service are being made.

Before the German was to be put in the coffin on Wednesday evening, thousands of believers and many churchmen came to St. Peter's Basilica to say goodbye.

Among them was the cardinal and Archbishop of Cologne, Rainer Maria Woelki.

The Pope Emeritus was a great supporter of Woelkis.

In total, almost 200,000 people bid farewell to the late Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter's Basilica during the three days of laying out.

Funeral of Benedict XVI: The Pope Emeritus will be buried on Thursday

First report from January 4th:

Rome – On Thursday morning (January 5) at around 9.30 a.m., Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.

buried.

He will receive a ceremony and burial like a pope, despite his resignation in 2013. Numerous prominent guests are expected to attend the ceremony in St. Peter's Basilica.

Including Markus Söder and Olaf Scholz with a Bavarian delegation from politics, church and society.

But also long-term, private companions of Benedict XVI.

will be present.

An old friend from Munich chatted with the Pope Emeritus before the funeral service about traditions and old stories.

Benedict XVI

will be buried on January 5th in St. Peter's Basilica with a ceremony and subsequent burial.

© Ben Curtis/dpa

Before Benedict XVI's funeral: a friend from Munich raves about the old days

“We strapped on our roof rack and then tied the Christmas trees to it.

And so I kept going to Rome,” said Thaddäus Kühnel in an interview with the Christian radio station Horeb after the death of Benedict XVI. Thaddäus Kühnel is a friend of the retired Pope's Munich days.

What is he talking about here?

From a common Advent and Easter tradition.

When Ratzinger became head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and moved from Munich to the Vatican, the tradition arose that Kühnel kept bringing something from home to Rome for him and others around him.

It started with an Easter candle and ended with 50 Advent wreaths and several Christmas trees from Bavaria.

Also in the last Advent he was with Pope Benedict again, so Kühnel.

He found out about the death of the ex-Pope from the Swiss Guard.

Benedict XVI

- The Region and its Pope

View photo gallery

Funeral of Benedict XVI: The Pope Emeritus died on New Year's Eve morning

Benedict XVI

died at around 9:34 am on New Year's Eve at the age of 95 in his rooms at the Vatican.

Since January 2, the body of the ex-Pontifex was then laid out in St. Peter's Basilica.

Tens of thousands of people, including the Italian Prime Minister Meloni, said goodbye to Benedict XVI, whose real name was Joseph Ratzinger.

Pope Francis described his predecessor as a "magnanimous and kind person".

“We thank God for giving us Benedict XVI.

to have given,” he writes in the foreword of his forthcoming book, which several Italian newspapers published on Wednesday.

• Burial of Benedict XVI:

• 9.30 a.m

  .: Ceremony in St. Peter's Basilica with Pope Francis, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re and prominent guests

• Afterwards:

  Burial of Benedict XVI.

  in the grotto of St. Peter's Basilica closed to the public

• Around 11:00 a.m.:

  Recommendation of the German Bishops' Conference for funeral bells in the German, Catholic dioceses.

On Wednesday evening the body of Benedict XVI.

placed in a coffin made of cypress wood.

So he will no longer be laid out freely at the funeral service.

After Thursday's ceremony, the ex-Pontifex will be buried in the grotto beneath St. Peter's Basilica.