On Thursday (5), Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, a staunch conservative who shocked the Catholic Church when he resigned a decade ago, was buried in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.
The Pope Francis led the farewell mass for his predecessor, an unprecedented event in the history of the Catholic Church in modern times.
As smoke covered the top of St. Peter’s Basilica, the ceremony began with a prayer from Pope Francis for Benedict XVI. Readings were made in Spanish, English, and Latin. Francis honored Benedict XVI in his homily but did not dwell on his specific legacy and mentioned his name only once, at the end. Prayers were also said in German, French, Arabic, Portuguese, and Italian.
Tens of thousands of people began arriving for the funeral starting at 4 a.m. local time, after three days of wake, during which about 200,000 people paid tribute to the former pontiff. Police estimated that between 60,000 and 100,000 people would visit St. Peter’s Square to attend the funeral.
The body of Benedict XVI was carried in a traditional cypress wood coffin before more than 100 cardinals, 400 bishops, and nearly 4,000 priests from around the world.
Benedict XVI, who died on New Year’s Eve at the age of 95, shocked the Catholic Church in 2013 when he became the first pope to retire in 600 years. This decision marked his legacy, as did the sexual abuse scandal that has plagued the Catholic Church in recent years.
As Benedict XVI was no longer head of state, only two countries, Italy and his homeland, Germany, sent official delegations to the funeral. And although the Pope Emeritus requested a simple funeral, the farewells followed a protocol similar to what is to be followed when a pope dies.
At his request, Benedict XVI was also buried in the Vatican’s underground grottoes, in the niche where the first pope, John XXIII, and later John Paul II were buried before their remains were transferred to more prominent places in the basilica above.
Born in a small village in Bavaria, the former Joseph Ratzinger entered the priesthood in 1951 and went on to lead the Catholic Church in 2005.
He was widely regarded as a defender of the Church’s conservatives, but the end of his papacy was marked by sexual abuse scandals in the Church.
He continued to advise his successor – who is much more liberal-minded – particularly after resigning from the papacy and was the longest-serving pope, having surpassed Pope Leo XIII.
His death generated tributes from around the world.
President Joe Biden, the second Roman Catholic president of the United States, said in a statement that Benedict XVI “will be remembered as a renowned theologian, with a lifetime of devotion to the Church, guided by his principles and faith.”