Three thoughts from the Pope at Benedict XVI's funeral MassOn the 5th, at 9:30 a.m., Pope Francis presided at the funeral Mass for Benedict XVI in St. Peter's Square. More than 400 bishops and four thousand priests concelebrated. Also in attendance were 120 cardinals. More than 50,000 faithful were present at the Mass (in addition to the 165,000 faithful of the previous days, who were able to pay their respects to Pope Benedict XVI). tribute in St. Peter's Basilica). About 1,000 journalists were accredited. The prayers for the Pope Emeritus and all the rites that preceded and followed the funeral were broadcast live on Vatican television.
International representatives
The funeral of Benedict XVI was attended by official delegations from Germany and Italy, led by President Sergio Mattarella and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, together with representatives of royal houses, among them Queen Sofia, mother of Felipe VI, King of Spain, delegations from governments and international institutions, as well as many other representatives of the Italian and German governments. ecumenical representativesMetropolitans Emmanuel of Chalcedon and Polycarp of Italy, for the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, and Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Church Relations. Bishops from many Orthodox Churches of Europe, America and Asia were also present. Also present was the moderator of the Ecumenical Council of Churches, Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm.
Funeral Mass
The Mass lasted two hours and the readings were - as usual - in several languages. "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit," Francis began his homily, with the last words spoken by the Lord on the cross. Pope Francis thanked Benedict XVI for the "wisdom, delicacy and dedication" that "he has been able to spread over the years." Francis referred to Ratzinger "as the Teacher, he carries on his shoulders the weariness of intercession and the weariness of anointing for his people, especially where goodness is in struggle and his brothers see their dignity endangered." "To love means to be willing to suffer" and "to give the sheep the true good," which Francis said is "the nourishment of God's presence."
The Pope also underscored his predecessor's "passionate quest" to communicate the Gospel and urged the Church to "follow in his footsteps." At the end of the homily he referred directly to the Pope Emeritus, pronouncing his name: "Benedict, faithful friend of the Bridegroom, may your joy be perfect in hearing definitively and forever his voice.". Pope Francis presided at the Mass, which was concelebrated as principal officiant by the Dean of the College of Cardinals, the Italian Giovanni Battista Re.
The transfer of the coffin
At the end of the Eucharistic celebration, Pope Francis presided over the rite of the Ultima Commendatio (the last recommendation) and the Valedictio (the farewell). The coffin of the Pope Emeritus was then transferred to St. Peter's Basilica and then to the Vatican Grottoes for burial. During the rite, a ribbon was privately placed around the coffin, with seals from the Chapter of St. Peter's, the Pontifical Household and the Office for Liturgical Celebrations. The cypress coffin was then placed inside a larger zinc coffin that has been welded and sealed. This zinc coffin was then placed in turn in a wooden box, which will be placed in the place previously occupied, until the beatification, by the coffin of St. John Paul II.
By 12:30 p.m. St. Peter's Square has emptied. The flags of Bavaria remain, flying alongside those of Germany and Vatican City. The crowd walks through Via della Conciliazionewhere you can still see the barriers being removed elsewhere. The Basilica and the square are currently closed to the public, but will reopen at 4:30 p.m., as shown on the giant screens.
A Pope who marked the lives of many
Little by little, the faithful who attended the funeral of Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, are leaving the vicinity of St. Peter's. Among the many religious and faithful there are many foreigners and families with children who braved the cold to pay their last tribute to Ratzinger, like an American priest, George Wohl, 28, who said "I live in Rome, where I study dogmatic theology, but I am Canadian." "I was in Quebec, at home, on vacation. But I came back earlier, I wanted to concelebrate for Pope Benedict, a great man and a great Pontiff', or like a 26-year-old German from Bonn, who says (while crying and hugging his fiancée Margaretha): 'It's as if my father had died. Sorry, I can't talk, for us it's as if our father had died."
