Pope Emeritus buried: Francis bids farewell to Benedict

Benedict XVI has found his last resting place: The retired Pope was buried in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Before that, thousands had said goodbye to him. Pope Francis paid tribute to Benedict’s prayerful devotion.

The dome of St. Peter’s Basilica was only dimly visible in the morning mist when the body of Benedict XVI. was carried to the forecourt of the basilica in a simple coffin made of cypress wood before the beginning of the requiem mass.

Already in the dark in the morning, numerous people had been waiting in front of the strictly controlled entrances to St. Peter’s Square to say goodbye to the late Pope Emeritus in the requiem. Before the start of the solemn ceremony, the faithful prayed the Rosary for Benedict.

Pope Francis: Benedict showed prayerful devotion

Among the tens of thousands of people on St. Peter’s Square were 130 cardinals, around 300 bishops and almost 4,000 priests – the Catholic Church gathered at this funeral mass around its deceased Pope Emeritus. In his homily, Pope Francis praised his predecessor for his wisdom and sensitivity and said: “Like the women at the tomb in the Gospel, so we are here with the fragrance of gratitude and the anointing of hope, to once again show him the love that does not pass.”

In his sermon, which was characterized by many quotations from the Bible and spiritual formulations, Francis also recalled the troubles of the papal office, the difficult tasks with which the supreme shepherd of the Catholic Church was confronted – and how Benedict dealt with them: “Praying devotion, silently evolving and honing itself between the crossroads and contradictions faced by the shepherd and the confident call to shepherd the flock.”

trusting relationship

Even if a contradiction between Francis and Benedict was often constructed in public, Francis had a trusting relationship with his predecessor, despite all the differences between the two in terms of content, style and temperament. Francis’ moving last words of his homily recalled Benedict’s trust in God: “Benedict, faithful friend of the bridegroom, may your joy be complete when you hear his voice finally and forever.” Before the coffin containing Benedict’s body was carried into the papal tomb under St. Peter’s Basilica, Francis placed his hand on the coffin in a final salute and remained motionless for several moments.

The burial in the crypt then took place in the closest circle. Benedict himself had wished to be buried in the grave of his predecessor, John Paul II. After his beatification, his mortal remains were reburied in a side chapel of St. Peter’s Basilica.

First German Pope in 500 years

Overall, the Vatican today paid tribute to Benedict with a ceremony broadly analogous to that for a deceased incumbent pope. As is customary for a pope, Benedict’s coffin included a brief written summary of his pontificate and coins minted during his tenure in the Vatican. So far, there is no set procedure in the Catholic Church for dealing with the death of a pope emeritus. Benedict was the first modern pope to resign from office almost ten years ago

Among the tens of thousands of mourners on St. Peter’s Square today were numerous believers from Germany and especially from Benedict’s homeland of Bavaria. Before the funeral mass began, they waved German and Bavarian flags. The official German delegation was headed by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, while Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz and representatives of all other constitutional bodies traveled to Rome. And Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder also attended the funeral service. Benedict was the first German Pope in almost 500 years.